"It's a drill today, but tomorrow it may be real," said Mayor Eric Garcetti -- a point proved in Mexico, where a drill was carried out hours before a deadly 7.1 magnitude earthquake killed 369 people in September.
The California metropolis is at risk due to the 800 mile (1300 kilometer) San Andreas fault. On January 17, 1994, a 6.7 magnitude quake struck Los Angeles, killing 57 and injuring over 8,700.
Thursday's exercise -- carried out annually at 10:19 am to match the date -- was based on a 7.8 magnitude earthquake. It is estimated such a quake would kill 1,800 and lead to losses of $213 billion in southern California.
The drill -- officially called the 2017 Great California Shakeout -- also saw emergency personnel practice response strategies outside the city's Natural History Museum. They installed a triage zone color-coded in green, yellow and red to help prioritize the treatment of those injured.
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