Earthquake simulator comes to Union Station in downtown LA

By KCAL/KCBS Staff

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    LOS ANGELES (KCAL, KCBS) — An earthquake simulator was set up at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles Tuesday to give people the chance to test how ready they are for “the big one.”

The simulator was installed by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, part of a tour across the state for Earthquake Preparedness Month.

The simulator gives people the opportunity to experience what it would feel like to be in an earthquake ranging in size from magnitude-3.0 to magnitude-7.0. The goal is to give people who may have never experienced a strong earthquake the chance to do so, in order to realize they need to be prepared.

CAL OES is also asking people to download the MyShake app, the statewide app designed to give the public a few seconds warning in the event of a large earthquake. Jose Lara with CAL OES told CBSLA those seconds could be crucial.

“It absolutely is enough,” Lara said. “If I could tell you that you’re gonna have three seconds to prepare for an oncoming earthquake, you have the ability to grab your children, or drop, cover and hold on, get underneath a table, or go somewhere safe.”

The simulator will be open to the public from 8 a.m. through 1 p.m. in Patsaouras Transit Plaza. It will then make stops in Sacramento on Thursday, Berkeley on Friday and Salinas on Saturday.

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