LA MIRADA, CALIF. — Biola University’s ShakeOut will be the focus of this year’s Great ShakeOut earthquake drills on Thursday, October 16, a statewide exercise for earthquake preparedness. In partnership with the City of La Mirada, Biola will host a mass casualty exercise based on a hypothetical 6.7 magnitude earthquake centered on the Whittier Fault Zone — the trigger of the 5.1 magnitude La Habra earthquake in March.

Selected by the State Office of Emergency Management (OEM), this is the first time OEM will focus on a university campus. First launched in 2008, The California Institute of Technology (Cal Tech) created the Great California ShakeOut to inform and educate the public about earthquake preparedness and safety.

Each year, OEM selects an organization and location to spotlight for the statewide exercise. This year, they selected Biola University and the City of La Mirada. The exercise is not just a standard “drop, cover and hold on” earthquake drill.

At 9:40 a.m., Biola’s campus dispatch will report a magnitude 6.7 earthquake and Biola’s Campus Safety will jump into action. Shortly after, Biola will call for assistance from local authorities including the Los Angeles County Fire Department, City of La Mirada Office of  Emergency Management and Community Emergency Response Teams. Moulage victims will add to the realistic portrayal preparing first responders and officers for the emotional and physical intensity of an actual earthquake. Biola’s health center and nursing students will assist with triage. The full-scale exercise is scheduled to conclude at 12 p.m.

Starting at 4 a.m., the Ready America “Big Shaker” earthquake simulation trailer will be available to media throughout the morning and afternoon. Registration will start at 3:30 a.m.


A press conference will be held at 8:45 a.m. at the site of the earthquake drill. Biola expert and professor of geology, Dale Schneeberger, will speak at the press conference alongside Biola’s Chief of Campus Safety, John Ojeisekhoba, and Biola University President Barry H. Corey. Other featured guest speakers will be from the Federal, State, County, Non-Government Organizations and earthquake experts.


This year a record number of more than 10 million Californians have registered in advance and will be joined by an additional 15-plus million people representing more than 45 states and countries worldwide that will participate in this years The Great ShakeOut.


Parking for the media remote vehicles will be at 13301 University Drive/Oakewood Lane drive entrance to the Biola University campus, location off of La Mirada Boulevard, approximately 250 yards from the City of La Mirada City Hall and EOC. Car parking wil be available via the same campus entrance in Parking Lot K (4th and 5th floor levels). Contact Jenna Bartlo, media relations specialist, for more information at 562.777.4061 or jenna.l.bartlo@biola.edu.

About The Great ShakeOut

Now in its seventh year, The Great ShakeOut provides organizations, schools, businesses, government offices and agencies, first responders, emergency managers, and general public with the opportunity to practice the essential life saving “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” immediate response to an earthquake, and to focus on initiating or reviewing their earthquake emergency plans and preparations.

About Biola University

Biola University is a leading Christ-centered university in Southern California that offers a premier, nationally ranked education and has been named one of the nation's “up and coming” universities by U.S. News & World Report four times in the past five years. Founded in 1908, Biola is committed to the mission of biblically centered education, scholarship and service — equipping men and women in mind and character to impact the world for the Lord Jesus Christ. With more than 6,300 students at its Los Angeles-area campus and around the world, the university more than 150 academic programs through its six schools, ranging from the B.A. to the Ph.D. For more information, visitwww.biola.edu.