The earthquake early warning system was developed at the University of California, Berkeley. Photo: YouTube/UC Berkeley
On Tuesday, a 5.1 magnitude earthquake hit the Bay Area. It’s not an unusual occurrence — little shakers are part and parcel of living there — but what was unusual was that an app called MyShake warned thousands of users before it happened.
The MyShake app, which was created by the Berkeley Seismology Lab, alerted some 95,000 users of the impending earthquake 18 seconds before it happened, according to officials from the California Office of Emergency Management and USGS.
Using ground motion sensors from cell phones across California, the app predicts when an earthquake stronger than 4.5 on the Richter scale is about to strike. Users are alerted on their phones to “Drop, cover and hold on.” As your phone’s motion sensors alert the app, it’s determined whether the motion fits the model of an earthquake.
The earthquake alert system was first announced by California Gov. Gavin Newsom back in 2019, but the latest shaker has sparked a surge in signups for MyShake. According to reports, nearly two million new users have registered since Tuesday.
“Nothing can replace families having a plan for earthquakes and other emergencies,” said Newsom in 2019. “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.”
While the app doesn’t give all that much warning, it does give the user enough time to prepare by finding a place nearby to shelter. As of this reporting, the system is only fully operational in California, Oregon, and Washington, but it’s likely to be expanded, should it prove to be successful over time.
While it doesn’t exactly warn about impending tsunamis, they are related hazards. Although tsunamis are rare in California, according to the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, “the entire coastline is vulnerable to one at any given time,” and as history has proven, any advance notice is better than none.
