Drop, cover and hold on.

After a month of earthquake scares and drills, Southern Californians said they are ready to do just that.

Following nearly 200 earthquakes in the Salton Sea, the California Office of Emergency Services issued an advisory Monday, Sept. 26 — standard protocol. However, this standard protocol received a lot more attention than usual as some Californians feared the “Big One.”

According to Thomas H. Jordan, the director of the Southern California Earthquake Center, the southernmost stretch of the San Andreas fault is long overdue for a large earthquake. Usually occurring every 150-200 years, the region hasn’t had a major earthquake for 336 years.

“We have over 25 earthquakes a day in Southern California alone, and most are too small to be felt,” USC Earthquake Communication Specialist Jason Ballmann said.

Clusters of small earthquakes are not sure-fire indicators that a larger earthquake is about to strike. The Salton Sea earthquakes increased the possibility of a major earthquake to about 1 percent.

According to Los Angeles seismologist Lucy Jones, 1 percent is, while still significant, not significant enough for panic.

The heightened attention toward earthquakes came alongside the Great California Shakeout, which took place Tuesday, Oct. 20.

During the Shakeout, participants are encouraged to act out the reaction to a real earthquake. Oak Park High School, along with thousands of other schools, businesses and organizations throughout California, participated in the Shakeout.

“[The Shakeout] is the world’s largest preparedness event. Starting in California, it has spread across the world to Japan,” Ballmann said.

In Southern California, where the likeliness of a serious earthquake to occur before the year 2037 is 93 percent, participating in the Shakeout is crucial, according to Ballmann. A major earthquake, of magnitude 7.5 or higher, hasn’t happened in California since 1952.

“Level of concern shouldn’t be raised by one thing or another, other than the fact that we’re going to have earthquakes in the future,” Ballmann said.

According to Principal Kevin Buchanan, Oak Park High School is specifically equipped to handle earthquakes of all sizes.

“We’ve planned it out for the worst case scenario,” Buchanan said.

The high school is built in compliance with all California safety codes and regulations. As a result, it has even been designated as an earthquake shelter in the case of a disaster.

“[The high school] is where you want to be because the help is coming here,” physical education teacher Brenda Pasqua said.

After an earthquake occurs, Oak Park’s fire department would be called to the high school immediately because the majority of the community’s population is located nearby.

“In a major earthquake, the school will be converted into an emergency shelter. We have tents, containers and porta-potties ready. Our staff are emergency service qualified and would be required to stay,” Buchanan said. “The gym would become a shelter and Red Cross would come in there.”