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When the Big One hits, the first thing Washington residents notice may not be the ground shaking, but their phone issuing a warning. The U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Washington-based Pacific Northwest Seismic Network and the Washington Emergency Management Division on Tuesday, May 4, will activate the system that sends earthquake early warnings throughout Washington state. This completes the tri-state rollout of ShakeAlert, an automated system that gives people living in Washington, Oregon and California advance warning of incoming earthquakes.
“For the first time, advance warning of imminent earthquake shaking will be a reality in our region. Even just seconds, up to a minute of warning is enough to prepare yourself and take cover actions that may spare you from injury or even save your life,” said Harold Tobin, a UW professor of Earth and space sciences and director of the PNSN, which operates the seismic monitoring in Washington and Oregon.
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WASHINGTON Washington s earthquake early warning system officially launches Tuesday, completing ShakeAlert s West Coast rollout after years in the making.
In Washington, the system is managed jointly by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network. The early warnings will alert residents a few seconds before shaking begins, helping reduce the risk for injuries and protecting critical infrastructure.
Had @USGS ShakeAlert been in place for the 6.8 Nisqually earthquake in 2001, those in Seattle likely would have received a 10-12 second warning that an earthquake is on the way. That s Plenty of time to get to safety & trigger automatic systems. The system is live on May 4! pic.twitter.com/LnXYEzxLv8
ShakeAlert Earthquake Warning System Goes Live in Washington May 4, 2021
Washington residents will have new tool to help keep them safe when an earthquake strikes on Tuesday when the ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning System goes live.
Once launched, ShakeAlert will be able to send residents an alert on their mobile phones, providing valuable seconds of warning to take cover before the shaking from an earthquake reaches their location, KING5 reported.
Washington state has the second-highest earthquake risk in the United States, along with one of the highest tsunami risks, according to the Washington Emergency Management Division. While the system is designed to give residents time to take cover in the event of an earthquake, it cannot predict when an earthquake will strike.
A team from the UW-based Pacific Northwest Seismic Network installs a new solar panel array at a seismic monitoring site in Enumclaw, Wash., in April. The seismometer, one of hundreds that provide data for ShakeAlert, is in the hole in the foreground. A trench brings cables to the newly installed solar panels, on the right, that power the system, and an aluminum box containing electronics that digitize and transmit the seismic data. (University of Washington Photo)
The news:ShakeAlert, an automated system designed to warn people that an earthquake has occurred and shaking is imminent, is being activated in Washington state today to complete a West Coast rollout of the technology.
Cellphone earthquake alerts debut in Washington with a catch By Sandi Doughton, The Seattle Times
Published: May 3, 2021, 7:57am
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One of the most terrifying things about earthquakes is the way they strike without warning. That’s going to change just a tiny bit in Washington beginning Tuesday.
For the first time, residents will be able to get alerts on their cellphones seconds before the ground under their feet starts shaking enough time, hopefully, to get to a safe spot and avoid injury.
Californians have been tied in to the earthquake early warning network called ShakeAlert since late 2019 and have already received advance notifications of several small-to-moderate quakes. The system went live in Oregon two months ago. Washington’s addition completes the rollout of a technology inspired by networks in Japan and Mexico and developed over the past 15 years by scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Washington, Caltech and other in