7.8-magnitude earthquake - 1,600 fires, 53,000 injured

Great California Shake Out drill - Golden Guardian
"Because Shift Happens"
The largest earthquake drill in our nation's history
The exercise simulates a large earthquake in the densely populated region

• 1,800 people dead,
  
• 53,000 injured,
  
• 1,500 buildings destroyed
• 1,600 fires
• 213 billion dollars in damage.
  

"The mock disaster assumes 1,600 fires will erupt through the region, and
firecrews will respond to drills including practice events where multiple
people are injured and buildings have collapsed."...

"The simulation, set for 10:00 am (1800 GMT) Thursday, will pretend to
destroy sections of freeway, railroad tracks, pipelines and power
lines."....

"According to the USGS, a 7.8-magnitude shake would rattle buildings in Los ngeles for 55 seconds, compared to the seven seconds it shook during the
1994 Northridge quake, which left 72 people dead and 12,000 injured."

OES State Operations Center will be fully activated to participate in this year's Golden Guardian Exercise, the nation’s largest state sponsored emergency exercise. Golden Guardian 2008 focuses on a simulated, catastrophic 7.8 magnitude earthquake along the southern portion of the San Andreas Fault, and tests California’s capability to respond and recover during a major catastrophic earthquake

"Preparedness Now" short film (4:32)

Up-and-coming film director, motion graphics designer and Art Center College of Design alumnus, Theo Alexopoulos, takes you on a visceral journey through the USGS ShakeOut Earthquake Scenario. The film was created by the USGS Multi-Hazards Demonstration Project in cooperation with the Designmatters program at Art Center to depict the physical, social, and economic consequences of the most comprehensive earthquake scenario ever created. The film gives the viewers a sense of what will be happening and inspires them to prepare and mitigate for a faster recovery. The premise underlying the film is that design is a powerful catalyst that can bridge the divide between scientific understanding about damaging quakes, and the ability of the public to feel empowered and to change their behavior in terms of preparedness.

• View on Youtube
  
• Download 50.4 MB Quicktime movie
• Download 152 MB Quicktime movie
• Download 628 MB Quicktime movie
  

The official website for the ShakeOut:
http://www.shakeout.org
blog: http://greatsocalshakeout.blogspot.com/ ("Because Shift Happens")
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/nca/simulations/shakeout/
and videos:
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=ShakeOut2008&view=videos
http://www.ohs.ca.gov/hseep/golden%5Fguardian/
http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1150/