Earthquake experts have pointed out that the early warning system ShakeAlert for strong earthquakes has been helping people prepare for catastrophic seismic events. However, some residents may still need more practice to proficiently respond to such situations. Scientists are working to improve the performance of the system to provide residents with more ample response time when a strong earthquake strikes.
This year in Southern California, there have been 13 strong earthquakes. When the alarm sounds, millions of California residents quickly pick up their phones, but many people only stare at their phones in the following seconds, failing to take timely safety measures.
ShakeAlert, launched by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in 2022, can detect ground motion at the onset of an earthquake. This software can integrate with multiple applications and government systems, serving approximately 50 million residents and visitors in California, Oregon, and Washington.
The system will quickly issue warnings in cooperation with partners, informing residents that a strong earthquake is imminent and instructing them to “drop, cover, and hold on.”
The most recent significant earthquake in Southern California, recorded by the USGS as 4.4 magnitude, occurred in Highland Park, about 6 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles. Robert de Groot, the head of operations for USGS’s ShakeAlert team, stated that approximately 3.25 million alerts were sent to phones in that region.
De Groot said, “This gives you an intuitive sense of the magnitude.” He mentioned that USGS is constantly improving the system, increasing the effectiveness of alerts and incorporating more features.
If a strong earthquake were to occur today, the ShakeAlert system would read ground motion data at one of its three processing centers in Southern California, Northern California, or Seattle. Within seconds, the system would send a data package to partner organizations, including the earthquake’s location, magnitude, and expected shaking intensity.
Subsequently, alerts would be sent out, not only warning residents but also slowing down trains, opening fire station doors, or closing valves to protect water supply systems.
To further enhance the system’s performance, scientists have recently integrated new real-time satellite sensors to detect ground shaking more rapidly, providing residents with a few extra seconds of preparation time before feeling the vibrations. However, for the warning system to truly be effective, it ultimately relies on people’s responses.
The USGS has allocated significant funding for promotion to ensure that people’s interaction with the earthquake early warning system can save lives.
Some experts believe that people may need more practice to immediately react when an earthquake alarm is issued, rather than just staring at their phones.
Abhijit Ghosh, associate professor of geophysics at the University of California, Riverside, stated in an interview with Dajiyuan that many people know what to do when an earthquake strikes but feel helpless during the actual event, often falling into panic.
Southern California has experienced 13 earthquakes of over 4.0 magnitudes this year, a significant increase compared to an average of about 5 earthquakes per year in recent years.
Ghosh said, “Even with just a 10-second warning, you have enough time to determine where the sturdiest table or furniture is, so you can quickly hide underneath and hold onto it.”
Ghosh pointed out that other response measures triggered by the ShakeAlert system can also save lives, such as trains stopping, planes not taking off, and doctors pausing surgeries. “You can imagine, in various scenarios, this system can be highly beneficial, even saving lives.”
Los Angeles International Airport was one of the first testing sites for the ShakeAlert system, providing earthquake warnings to passengers and staff in September 2021. In the pilot program, staff tested the feasibility of automatically shutting down the airport’s fuel supply system during a major earthquake to prevent fuel spills.
Countries like Japan, China, and Mexico are also using similar earthquake early warning systems.
Although scientists cannot accurately predict large earthquakes yet, this early warning system has already proven to be a highly valuable tool according to Ghosh.