Statewide Earthquake Drill Thursday at 10:20 a.m.

Students in Rosemont and all around the state will be ducking and covering Thursday as part of a massive drill in earthquake readiness.

The Great California ShakeOut, an annual event that this year has drawn 8.5 million registered participants, will encourage students, businesspeople and government officials alike to "drop, cover and hold on" at 10:20 a.m. Thursday. Local participants include the Sacramento City Unified School District and California American Water, according to the ShakeOut website.

The drill simulates a 7.8 magnitude earthquake along the San Andreas Fault in southern California, and encourages residents to be prepared for "the big one" by securing items in their homes, gathering supplies and having a plan to react to a disaster.

The city of Rancho Cordova will distribute 500 free disaster-readiness kits from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Thursday at Rancho Cordova City Hall, 2729 Prospect Dr.

Military and civilian staff will also practice their responses to a massive earthquake, working on simulated responses from Friday through Oct. 27.

, just east of Rosemont, wil act as a "Dual Status Command" to lead military and civilian response efforts.

"In the past, active duty and National Guard personnel have reported up separate chains of command, ending with either the president or the governor," the California National Guard said in a press release. "The inefficiency of that division became apparent during the gaps and delays of [Hurricane] Katrina."

Rosemont, how much do you worry about earthquakes? Is it something that you think should be taken seriously here in the Sacramento area? Have you been meaning to prepare? Vote in our poll below or post a comment with your thoughts.