A new app was introduced on January 2 that might provide residents of Los Angeles with advanced warning of magnitude 5.0 or higher quakes.
This will be the country’s inaugural public early major quake warning system and has the potential to save a significant number of lives. The app is a product of a collaboration among the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), The Annenberg Foundation, and AT&T.
Printing services may be used by realtors to add information about the app and addressing general earthquake concerns to the packs of information they supply house hunters, and thereby quelling the nerves of newcomers to the area.
Called ShakeAlertLA, the app was officially introduced on the first business day of 2019 and can be downloaded on a variety of mobile phones. The app does not predict earthquakes but warns when one starts, and will sometime give the app owners a heads up before the shaking reaches their location.
How much warning, or if any advance notice, will be given remains to be seen. The app explains to users that they may receive their alert prior to, during or after they feel shaking. The app works with a system of in-ground sensors developed by the USGS to detect seismic activity.
Besides quake alerts, the app also includes general information regarding earthquake preparation, as well as a map and listing of recent tremors.
