It looked a little like the opening episode of the new television series "Flash Forward." Millions of Californians fell to the floor on the morning of Oct. 15 and held on.
Unlike the TV plot, though, no one lost consciousness as they participated in the world's largest earthquake drill, the California ShakeOut. Everyone just thought they should shake up their daily routine to prepare for a big earthquake. 
 
The Rowland Unified School District was no exception as more than 16,000 students and staff dropped to the floor of their schools. Even the youngest kindergartners were surprisingly quiet, maybe they sensed the seriousness of their teachers. 
 
As the brave students hugged the legs of their desks with one hand and covered their heads with the other, the school district's disaster plan swung smoothly into place.
Soon the all-clear was sounded and students silently marched to marshaling yards where they would be held under the watchful eyes of teachers, while other instructors jumped into their disaster roles. 
 
Some joined search-and-rescue squads, while others ran to their first-aid assignments. Others banded together for supply, support and damage assessment. There were even small security squads and emergency communications teams. 
 
Radios crackled as the schools uplinked to the district's communications network and reported their status to the superintendent's office on Nogales Street.