Pasadena Fire Chief Chad Augustin thanked all participants in the Great ShakeOut earthquake drill Oct. 15 and reminded them that preparedness is a year-round responsibility, according to the City of Pasadena.
The drill took place at 10:15 a.m., and the city encouraged people citywide to participate. More than 10.4 million Californians practiced Drop, Cover and Hold On in the 2025 ShakeOut, according to the California Department of Education, and the American Red Cross said more than 10 million were expected this year. The statewide drill is organized by the Earthquake Country Alliance and held each year on the third Thursday of October.
The U.S. Geological Survey’s 2015 forecast put the chance of a magnitude 6.7 or larger earthquake in the Los Angeles region within 30 years at 60%, and at more than 99% statewide. The Raymond fault runs through the area, with trench sites listed in a federal fault database at Sierra Madre Boulevard, Eaton Wash and the Los Angeles County Arboretum; a magnitude 4.9 earthquake on Dec. 3, 1988, was linked to it. The Sierra Madre section of the Sierra Madre fault zone, which runs from Altadena to San Dimas, may rupture along its entire length in single events, according to research cited by the USGS.
The 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake, centered seven miles southeast of Pasadena, severely damaged Old Pasadena, and the 1991 Sierra Madre earthquake, magnitude 5.8, caused about $40 million in damage across the San Gabriel Valley.
The city advises residents to practice Drop, Cover and Hold On; review emergency plans for communication, meeting places and responsibilities; refresh kits with water, nonperishable food, medications, flashlights, batteries and pet supplies; and anchor heavy furniture, stabilize electronics and safely store breakable items. Federal guidance at Ready.gov calls for at least three days of food and water, at one gallon of water per person per day, while Los Angeles County recommends supplies for at least 10 days. The Earthquake Country Alliance says practicing Drop, Cover and Hold On “can save lives and reduce the risk of injury.” Amanda Morita of the American Red Cross Los Angeles Region said that while no one can stop an earthquake, “everyone can take steps to be ready for one.”
Pasadena is one of 14 cities in the California Residential Mitigation Program’s 2026 Earthquake Multi-Unit Retrofit grant program, which pays up to $49,600 per soft-story apartment building. The city’s 2019 retrofit ordinance covers wood-frame soft-story buildings whose construction permits were applied for on or before Nov. 12, 1976, excluding single-family homes and parcels with four or fewer units.
The Fire Department’s next Prepared Pasadena Training is Nov. 7, from 9 a.m. to noon at Jefferson Training Center, 1500 E. Villa St.; details are at https://www.cityofpasadena.
ShakeOut information is at https://www.shakeout.org/
Get our daily Pasadena newspaper in your email box. Free.
Get all the latest Pasadena news, more than 10 fresh stories daily, 7 days a week at 7 a.m.
