CHINO HILLS, California (AP) — Despite shaking a large swath of Southern California, a magnitude-5.4 earthquake was not the "Big One" that scientists have long feared. Still, it rattled nerves, causing people to vow to step up their emergency preparations. The quake, which rocked the region from Los Angeles to San Diego on Tuesday, caused only limited damage and minor injuries, and served as a reminder of the seismic danger below sprawling freeways and subdivisions. To prepare for the "Big One," scientists and emergency planners in the fall will hold what is billed as the largest earthquake drill in the United States. It will be based on a hypothetical magnitude-7.8 temblor. Earlier this year, scientists calculated that California faces a 99.7% chance of a magnitude-6.7 quake or larger in the next 30 years.
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