SOUTHERN Californians dropped to the ground, covered their heads and held on to the furniture for a mock "Big One" - an earthquake drill billed as the largest in US history.
The exercise featuring a cast of millions, was aimed at testing everyone from state leaders to students who donned fake blood to play victim.
At 10am, TV stations interrupted their regular programming to announce the drill and covered it as they would a major earthquake, though with continual reminders that the emergency was not real.
Yesterday's drill was based on a fictional magnitude-7.8 event on the southern San Andreas Fault.
If such a quake occurred today, scientists estimate it would kill 1,800 people and cause £125 billion in damage.
The dress rehearsal served to remind Californians that they live on shaky ground that can rupture without warning.
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