Dozens of students ducked and covered like it was 1989 Thursday at The Tech museum in downtown San Jose.
They were among the hundreds of thousands of people in offices, home and schools across Northern California who practiced how to survive a major earthquake.
This year's exercise took place during the same week as the 20th anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake that killed 63 people, collapsed a major freeway, and caused nearly $6 billion in damage around San Francisco Bay. The magnitude-6.9 temblor struck before the start of the third game of the 1989 World Series.
The Great California ShakeOut offers more ways to practice, practice, practice for Thursday's statewide shake. The ShakeOut is an opportunity for Californians to prepare for an earthquake with a statewide drill. The ShakeOut website features a full list of what you'll see and hear Thursday.
Several Bay Area radio stations, including KCBS 740 AM and KKDV 92.1 FM , broadcast an audio segment that features instructions and background sound effects.
There is also a video features that shows three graphics of a person about to crawl under a sturdy table, crawling under the table, and holding on to a leg of the table. It makes your job during the earthquake drill clear: drop, cover, hold on.
In the background, you can hear rumbling, and things falling and shattering -- the usual earthquake soundtrack. The sound effects, minus narration, also are available for download.
More that 6 million people are signed up to participate, according to the website. That many people might be listening in a car at the time of the drill was not lost on the creators.
The narrator states, "Unless you are driving, drop to the ground immediately."
Better idea: "Coast over to the side of the road, stop and set the parking brake. Avoid bridges and overhead hazards."
And, if you think you know everything about quakes, play Flash-based "Beat the Quake." Do you know how to secure a centerpiece bowl?
The site also features list of ShakeOut activities in the Bay Area. The drill is sponsored by the California Earthquake Authority. Participants are encouraged to prepare for an earthquake, both physically and financially, ahead of the drill.
