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For the Great ShakeOut, we visited a quake simulator to experience magnitude 7.0
Cal OES hosts an event in downtown Los Angeles with a trailer that simulates a magnitude 7 earthquake, on October 17, 2023.
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Brian Feinzimer
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LAist
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Update, Oct. 16, 2025:
The Great ShakeOut returns today. Between 10:14 and 10:16 this morning, you can expect an alert on your phone if you have the MyShake app. (If you don't have the MyShake app, download it — and make sure you're also signed up for other emergency alerts for your area.) For another way to get prepared, watch our video (below) from two years ago. You can see just how violent a 7.0 earthquake would be. Maybe that will finally get you to listen to The Big One and take earthquake prep seriously.
Today’s the Great ShakeOut, an annual reminder that the next big earthquake is always right around the corner.
I couldn’t quite remember what a major quake felt like because the last one I was in was back in 1994. Luckily for me, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services held an event downtown where I got to take a ride in an earthquake simulator. And let me tell you, there’s a reason officials hammer the phrase, “Drop, cover, hold on.”
The simulator is a sort of converted trailer that sits on springs and is powered by hydraulics.
After I plopped down in one of the chairs inside, an operator hit a button and everything started immediately to move back and forth. Slowly at first, then quickly ramping up to what's supposed to be a magnitude 7.0 earthquake.
@laistofficial Today is the GreatShakeOut! A global reminder that the Big One is always right around the corner. So LAist's Jacob Margolis went to an earthquake simulator to feel what a magnitude 7 temblor would be like. #earthquake #safetyfirst #losangeles
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I’ve made it a point to tell people not to run during quakes, as broken arms and legs can happen. And after feeling the shaking in that trailer, I can tell you confidently, there was no way that I’d be able to stand or run through the peak of a temblor that size.
It was easy to imagine how pictures would get ripped off the wall or heavy appliances like refrigerators and dryers might get thrown across the room.
Now’s a great time to start preparing for the next big quake because it could hit at any time.
Listen to The Big One: Your Survival Guide
You’re at Union Station when the big one hits. The next two minutes are terrifying. By the time you make your way outside, the Los Angeles you know is gone. In Episode One, you experience what the first hours after a massive earthquake could be like.
- Listen to The Big One: Your Survival Guide to hear what it’d be like to live through a magnitude 7.8 earthquake here in L.A.
- Check out our quake prep guide over here to get you and your family ready.
If you have a chance to go check out a shake trailer, do it. It’s a blast! And a terrifying reminder of how out of control you’ll be when the Big One shows up.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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