India, Oct. 17 -- Millions of Californians paused their routines on Thursday morning to participate in the 17th annual Great California ShakeOut, the state's largest earthquake preparedness drill. At 10:16 am, participants across the state practiced the life-saving technique: 'drop, cover, and hold on, ' reported ABC 7 news.

In San Diego alone, nearly 980,000 residents registered for the event, joining over 10.3 million participants statewide, as per ShakeOut.org. The annual drill, which began in 2008, aims to educate residents about earthquake safety and response practices, according to another Times of San Diego report.

In a statement, the ShakeOut organization said, "What we do to prepare now, before the next big earthquake, will det...