The blood and the broken bones were fake, just like the magnitude 7.8 "earthquake" that shook Los Angeles like a bowl of Jell-O for two long minutes Thursday.
In what was billed as the largest disaster drill ever in California, thousands of emergency responders, schoolchildren and office workers took part in the 10 a.m. pretend temblor.
But the question of whether or not the Great Southern California Shakeout actually shook Los Angeles from its quake complacency might only be apparent the day the "Big One" actually hits.
Under a script prepared by U.S. Geological Survey experts, other seismologists and computer programs, the drill supposed that a rupture of the San Andreas Fault occurred near the Salton Sea.
The shaking would be felt within seconds in Los Angeles and surrounding areas, experts said of the hypothetical quake. Interstate 10 at the San Gorgonio Pass would crack open. Some 300,000 buildings would sustain damage, including three skyscrapers that totally collapse in downtown Los Angeles. Office towers in Santa Ana and San Bernardino would also fall. The death toll would hit 1,800. An additional 50,000 would rush to emergency rooms.
"This is our equivalent of the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco," said Lucy Jones, chief scientist for the drill. "The worst-case scenario would have required much larger computers."
Shaking would be worst close to the fault and in areas where there is a sedimentary basin, Jones said. One of the deepest parts of the Southern California basin is under Watts, where deep sediment would cause intense shaking.
Some of the measures that government agencies have implemented over the years will help limit damage in a big quake. Jones credited Caltrans with some of the most significant work on highways and bridges.
"It does not mean that all roads will be passable, but it does mean we probably won't have anyone die in a collapsed freeway," Jones said.
Because there was no actual shaking Thursday, the drill went unnoticed by most. Schools paid attention, however.
Freshman Anthony Salazar was in a Bishop Alemany High School geography class in Mission Hills when the "quake" hit.
The bell went off and an ear-piercing rumbling blared over the campus' loudspeaker system. "It sounded like the real thing," said the 14-year-old San Fernando resident. Along with classmates, he dropped his geography book and ducked under his desk. "They'd told us it would happen, but we didn't believe it," Anthony said.
