The nation’s first statewide earthquake early warning app in California will deliver alerts to people’s cellphones before the ground starts to shake from a nearby temblor.
Gov. Gavin Newsom last week unveiled the launch of MyShake as a way for people across California to receive a warning on their smartphones to duck and cover in advance of an earthquake.
The mobile phone app will “marry” traditional emergency notifications with the accessibility of a smartphone application, according to a press release from Newsom’s office.
Created at UC Berkeley, the early warning system uses ground motion sensors from across the state to detect earthquakes before they are felt by people.
MyShake sends users — who possibly feel the ground trembling due to earthquakes — an automated alert to “Drop, cover and hold on.”
The new app will notify people for earthquakes exceeding magnitude 4.5 in their area.
MyShake can provide seconds of warning before the ground begins to move from a nearby quake.
“Nothing can replace families having a plan for earthquakes and other emergencies,” Newsom said. “And we know the Big One might be around the corner. I encourage every Californian to download this app and ensure your family is earthquake ready.”
MyShake delivers warning alerts from ShakeAlert technology operated by the U.S. Geological Survey that analyzes data from seismic networks in California and other states. ShakeAlert calculates preliminary magnitudes and then estimates which areas will feel shaking, according to a USGS press release.
Depending on a user’s location, the MyShake alerts “may provide seconds to tens of seconds of warning” before the ground starts to shake, USGS said. There will be users near the quake’s epicenter who do not receive the alert before shaking is felt.
“This will often happen when a user is within a few tens of miles of the earthquake’s epicenter, because of the time it takes to characterize an earthquake’s size and likely shaking levels, as well as delays resulting from the technologies our partners use to deliver the alert,” Jeff McGuire, USGS chief scientist for ShakeAlert, said in a news release.
MyShake is available for download through iTunes for iPhones and Google Play stores for Android phones.
Click here for more information and download the earthquake early warning app.
— Noozhawk staff writer Brooke Holland can be reached at bholland@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
