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Earthquake early warning program launched for U.S. West Coast

Xinhua, April 11, 2017 Adjust font size:

An earthquake early warning program, as a unified system for the entire U.S. West Coast, has been launched during an event at the University of Washington (UW).

The program, known as ShakeAlert, is designed to provide seconds to minutes of warning before damaging shaking arrives, enough for people to get out of a dangerous building, turn off a vehicle, stop surgeries and other delicate activities, and prepare for the imminent ground shaking.

Developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and four partner universities and funded with a combination of public and private grants, ShakeAlert's first pilot users in Washington and Oregon states, both in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, include RH2 Engineering, a full service engineering firm in Washington, and the Eugene Water & Electricity Board, a utility provider in Oregon.

Already in a beta test group that has been learning about the system since early 2015 from the UW-based Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, RH2 Engineering will use the alerts to secure municipal water and sewer systems so these structures remain usable after a major quake; and the Eugene Water & Electricity Boardwill use alerts to lower water levels in a canal above a residential area in Oregon, and to stop turbines at a river power plant.

"We are thrilled to take the first steps in integrating earthquake early warning into life in the Pacific Northwest," John Vidale, UW professor of Earth and space sciences and director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, was quoted by a news release from UW as saying Monday during an event for launching the program and introducing its first pilot uses. "Our teamwork has made it possible to reach this milestone so quickly."

Doug Given, USGS coordinator of earthquake early warning, said the federal agency plans to begin limited public alerts in 2018, but that more seismometers will be needed to provide reliable alerts for communities throughout the earthquake-prone regions.

The USGS estimates 38.3 million U.S. dollars in initial costs to complete a reliable, public system for the entire West Coast, and 16.1 million dollars each year to maintain and operate the ShakeAlert system. About half of the operational costs have been funded so far. Endit