Getting ready for California's 'Big One'

Randy Baxter holds on for dear life as a simulator shows him just how powerful a magnitude 7 earthquake can be.

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"It was much stronger than I thought," the 62-year-old academic said as he steps out of the machine on the campus of the University of California.

Once a year, this specially designed trailer goes on a week-long tour to educate Californians about what to do when the earth begins to move in one of the most seismically active parts of the world.

The state lives with the constant knowledge that it could be struck at any minute by "The Big One" - a powerful quake projected to kill 1 800 people, injure 53 000 and cause $200 billion (about R3.5 trillion) of damage.

There are more than 500 active faults in California, which together generate thousands of tremors every year.

The majority are small-barely noticed by the 40 million people who live here.