Yesterday, approximately 5 million southern Californians living near the San Andreas Fault participated in an emergency preparedness drill called The Great Southern California ShakeOut. For these ready residents, an earthquake isn't a matter of if but when.

The ShakeOut scenario was based on a 7.8-magnitude earthquake along the San Andreas Fault, which experts say could cause nearly 2,000 deaths and $200 billion in damage.

Along with their sponsors, ShakeOut.org made some great PSAs to help encourage people to participate in the big day.

Some were eerie:

Some were informative:

And some were just hilarious:

In the 21st century, it seems as if the next natural disaster is continually just around the corner. Be it an earthquake, hurricane, flood or tornado, knowing what to do in case of a disaster is more than just wise, it's essential.

Image credit: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times

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