You can't predict them, you can't avoid them, but you can prepare for them.
That is the message the California Office of Emergency Services is sending to Californians this week, as officials urge people to be ready for earthquakes.
A group from Cal OES is on a six day tour of the state to raise awareness. Monday, the third day of the tour, the group made a stop at Cal Poly.
They invited people on campus to test out their earthquake simulator, a machine that mimics the shaking of a magnitude 7.0 earthquake.
In an earthquake situation, the experts say, "Drop, cover, and hold on."
Schools and businesses across the state will hold an earthquake drill at 10:20 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 20, a day Cal OES has designated the Great California Shakeout.
"[It is] to make sure folks understand that it is never a bad time to practice earthquake preparedness, and emergency preparedness in general," Derek Lambeth, program manager for the Cal OES Earthquake Early Warning Unit, told KSBY.
The day commemorates the Loma Prieta Earthquake, which took place on Oct. 17, 1989, in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The magnitude 6.9 earthquake killed 63 people and left thousands more injured and without a home.
Officials also urge people to download the MyShake app, which could give as much as 60 seconds of warning time when an earthquake occurs. The amount of advance notice depends on how far away someone is from the epicenter of a quake.
More information on earthquake preparedness is available online, at earthquake.ca.gov.
