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January 28, 2013 By Jessica Mulholland
A California state lawmaker announced legislation on Monday, Jan. 28, to build an $80 million early warning system that would alert state residents seconds before an earthquake hits.
If approved, the system would take a year or two to deploy and warn residents about a minute before the shaking starts, said Sen. Alex Padilla, during a news conference at the California Institute of Technology Seismological Laboratory (Caltech) in Pasadena.
"The bottom line is this," Padilla said. "It's not a matter of if the next big one hits, it's a matter of when."
He pointed to a study released in early January from the California Institute of Technology and the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology that says California could be struck by a massive quake involving both the Los Angeles and San Francisco metropolitan areas.
Building upon the existing California Integrated Seismic Network, seismologists envision a system that would process data from an array of sensors throughout the state, according to a press release. The system would detect the strength and the progression of earthquakes, alert the public within seconds and provide up to 60 seconds advance warning before potentially damaging ground shaking is felt.
Michael Gurnis, a professor of Geophysics at Caltech and director of the Seismological Laboratory, said the proposed system would help Californians survive a massive quake. "Caltech firmly believes that earthquake early warning could save lives in California in the event of a major earthquake," he said during the Monday news conference.
Such a system, Padilla added, wouldn't just alert the public, "it would also speed the response of police and fire personnel by quickly identifying areas hardest hit by the quake."
Padilla said the projected cost for the system is around $80 million, but ongoing operation and maintenance costs after deployment are unknown. Funding could come from a combination of federal and state sources, though public-private partnerships also are welcome, he said. "We've got to deploy it sooner rather than later; we don't want to sit here after the next big one saying, 'Why didn't we do that?'"
The senator noted that the magnitude 6.7 Northridge Earthquake, which hit the Los Angeles area in 1994, caused at least $13 billion in damage. With a 99.7 percent likelihood of another magnitude 6.7 earthquake in the state in the next 30 years -- and a 94 percent chance of a magnitude 7.0 -- the warning system is a smart investment, Padilla said. “We all know a big quake will hit again in the future. We should be smart and use our advanced science and technology to detect seismic activity and alert people in advance of an approaching quake."
Japan, Taiwan, Mexico, Turkey, Romania, Italy and China either have or are working on earthquake early warning systems -- "the U.S. and California should be the lead, not following," Padilla said.
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http://www.govtech.com/public-safety/Will-California-Create-an-Earthquake-Early-Warning-System.html
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Seconds? My mother had one of those--a metal mobile.
Really, $80 million for an early warning system that MIGHT give us up to 60 seconds to put our hot coffee cup down. This money would be better off spent on the Governors proposed high speed rail system.
Am I the only one who sees the absurdity of this? A "projected" cost of $80 million for a system that "may" provide up to 60-seconds of warning and which "could” potentially save lives. First, "projected cost," translates as, "it’s actually going to cost lots-and-lots more." Second, an "up to 60-second warning” means it could be as little as a one-second warning. How’s that going to help anyone? Third, the cost of operating this warning system hasn't even been calculated yet. Who's going to be hired to operate and maintain it? Fourth, "funding could come from a combination of federal and state sources". Sen Padilla, where does the government get its money? From the taxpayers. What California needs is less taxes, not legislation which will end-up costing taxpayers millions. California doesn’t need this and the California taxpayers can’t afford it.
I know very little about earthquakes. If you have a 60 second advance notice, what do you do? Do you go inside, outside, run aimlessly, say your prayers? What is the best course of action?
in march, 2011 i was on my way back to my office building when i received a earthquake warning on my mobile phone. i stopped and did not continue to walk into my office building. in fact, i walked away from the buildings and stayed in the parking lot. about 65 seconds later, hard rolling and motions started and knocked me to the ground spraining my right wrist. after the large earthquake ended, i noticed that a large support beam and part of the second floor had collapsed in the entry way where i was originally walking to. the earthquake warning app on my mobile phone saved my life. however, i knew four people who died that day. one of them was my cousin.