The Big one hits Whittier!

At exactly 10 a.m. today the Whittier Daily News office on Greenleaf was shaken to its foundations.

A massive magnitude-7.8 earthquake knocked out our phones, our power and our ability to put out tomorrow's newspaper.

Editor Tim Traeger immediately sent police reporter Ruby Gonzales up the street to the Police Station to monitor relief efforts. Reporter Mike Sprague headed to Uptown to speak with those who all too vividly remember the 5.9-magnitude Whittier Narrows Earthquake of 1987.

Reporter Sandra Molina headed to Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital, where emergency crews were providing triage to hundreds of injured Whittierites. Education reporter Tracy Garcia went to the local school district office to get official word on how our children fared in classrooms littered with broken glass and scattered books.

In the end we had to fire up our electric generators in West Covina and all reporters and editors put out your Whittier Daily News electronically and sent it to Woodland Hills to print. It arrived about four hours late on Friday because drivers had to take side streets to bypass crumpled freeways.

The scenario could happen. In fact many feel the Big One is imminent. So the drill, although fake, made us all think about taking the steps to be prepared. And so should you.