Residents of earthquake zones ‘drop, cover and hold on’ during annual ShakeOut quake drill

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — People ducked under desks and tables in California and around the world for an annual drill practicing ways to stay safe during earthquakes. Up and down the West Coast, the ShakeOut drill began at 10:19 a.m. Thursday with a test alert from the region’s ShakeAlert earthquake warning system popping up on cellphone screens. For many it was the second alert of the day, following an errant predawn message that hit some phones with a voice message announcing the test. The U.S. Geological Survey says that was likely due to a mix-up in time zones set in the test alert system. The real thing happened on Wednesday, however, when a magnitude 4.2 quake struck southwest of Sacramento, California.