California’s first-in-the-nation earthquake warning system notified millions ahead of quake
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Aug 7, 2024

California's first-in-the-nation earthquake warning system notified millions ahead of quake

What you need to know: The state's earthquake Early Warning System notified millions of Californians through emergency alerts — some up to 35 seconds before shaking started.

SACRAMENTO – Continuing to lead the country in emergency management and disaster preparedness, California's first-in-the-nation Earthquake Early Warning System—launched under Governor Gavin Newsom's leadership—provided advance notification to millions of Californians. This alert came ahead of the 5.2 magnitude earthquake's shaking that was felt late last night throughout Central and Southern California.

The epicenter of Tuesday's earthquake was in the community of Lamont, CA and was felt across large portions of Central and Southern California. The Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), which oversees California's earthquake warning system, continues to coordinate closely with local officials in the impacted region to evaluate any issues or unmet needs.

Phones in the affected areas received notifications thanks to the state's MyShake app, which sent 517,354 alerts, and even more Californians received alerts thanks to the public-private partnership between the state and Google, which has integrated the alert software into their Android cell phone operating systems.

"Our investments in cutting edge, innovative technologies are paying off. Efforts like these have allowed us to gain vital seconds between when alerts arrive on Californians' mobile phones and when the ground starts shaking. Californians, I encourage you to download the app, it can save lives!"

Governor Gavin Newsom

Following Tuesday's earthquake, there were more than 46,692 new downloads of the MyShake App in just 12 hours.

In addition to the emergency alerts sent to individuals through MyShake and smartphones, California is also using the technology to automate protective actions such as opening firehouse doors, recalling elevators, shutting off water and gas valves as well as closing bridges gates and notifying personnel in school and medical settings. Because of this capability, Metrolink's train system automatically generated a notice that an earthquake had occurred.

"The system performed Tuesday—giving Californians many seconds of advance warning" said Cal OES Director Nancy Ward. "This demonstrates that Californians are now more protected in the moments before the devastation of major earthquake hits."

In 2019, on the 30th anniversary of the deadly Loma Prieta earthquake, Governor Newsom announced the launch of the nation's first statewide Earthquake Early Warning System.

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Building on this success of the Governor's 2019 launch, in 2020 Governor Newsom announced a partnership with Google to incorporate California's earthquake early warning technology into all Android smartphones.

Warnings delivered through the California Earthquake Early Warning System are powered by ShakeAlert, a computerized program operated by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in partnership with Cal OES that analyzes data from seismic networks in California, calculates preliminary magnitudes, and then estimates which areas will feel shaking. Seismic networks partners include the California Geological Survey, University of California, Berkeley Seismological Laboratory and California Institute of Technology Seismological Laboratory.

The California Earthquake Early Warning System marries a smartphone application with traditional alert and warning delivery methods such as Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA). With the recent integration of early warning technology within the most popular smartphones in California, the system can deliver alerts to most Californians. The system uses ground motion sensors from across the state to detect earthquakes before humans can feel them. Under the state's leadership, 50% more sensors have been installed since the program launched making the system more accurate and able to deliver alerts faster.

How to receive alerts

To receive earthquake warnings, there are three ways for individuals and families to get alerts through the Earthquake Warning California system.
  • MyShake App: Free smartphone app that provides iPhone users with audio and visual warnings, available in both English and Spanish.
  • Smartphones: The majority of smartphones with updated operating systems are automatically subscribed to earthquake early warning which uses the same technology as the MyShake App; and
  • Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs): No-cost text messages for emergency situations sent through the nation-wide system providing lifesaving information for the State of California

To learn more about earthquake preparedness and download the earthquake early warning application, visit: www.earthquake.ca.gov.

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