Statewide earthquake drill planned

More than 8 million Californians are expected to participate in a statewide earthquake drill at 10:20 a.m. Thursday.

In classrooms, offices and even a Target store in Northridge, people will be asked to drop, cover and hold on as the minute strikes. Participants can register at https://www.shakeout.org.

“Across the state, we’re asking folks to drill, to practice,” said John Bwarie, a spokesman for the U.S. Geological Survey. “Every time you practice, that’ll give you more time to prepare when the shaking actually does start to occur.”

In Northridge, a recording at a Target store will ask customers to drop to the ground, take cover by getting under a sturdy desk or table and holding on to it until the shaking stops. At Caltech, the college will send text messages to students and professors asking them to participate.

Thursday’s drill also will be held in British Columbia, Guam, Idaho, Nevada and Oregon. Officials from Chile, China, Japan and Mexico will be visiting a ShakeOut drill site in Northridge to learn from the event.

“People that are not prepared for disaster are inviting disaster,” said Kenneth Hudnut, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey.

Hudnut also advised the public to take more steps: “Make sure that things in your office or your home are not going to fly and hit” people during a quake, he said.

He also urged people to make sure they have plenty of water, comfortable walking shoes under beds and in cars, and emergency supplies at home and in their cars.

“If you’re inside, stay inside,” when a quake happens, Hudnut said. “If you’re outside, stay outside. A lot of our fatalities in earthquakes are when people run outside from a building, and the building may collapse out onto the sidewalk.”

ron.lin@latimes.com