The magnitude 4.4 quake — centered close to Highland Park on Monday — got here with an early warning from California’s quake alert system.
It was not instantly clear how many individuals bought the alert.
However it’s the newest instance of how the community is rising. Simply final week, greater than 5.4 million individuals bought early warning alerts that went out for the magnitude 5.2 quake that struck Kern County about 18 miles southwest of Bakersfield.
Here’s what you must know concerning the system:
How does it work?
Shaking from a quake travels on the pace of sound via rock — slower than the pace of right this moment’s communications techniques. For instance, it will take greater than a minute for a magnitude 7.8 earthquake that begins on the Salton Sea, alongside the state’s longest fault, the San Andreas, to be felt 150 miles away in Los Angeles.
How do I get it?
Whereas Google’s Android working system comes with a built-in app, Apple’s iOS system for iPhones doesn’t.
Those that have iPhones can get earthquake early warnings by downloading the free MyShake app, developed by UC Berkeley and offered in partnership with the California Governor’s Workplace of Emergency Companies, which alerts customers in California, Oregon and Washington. San Diego County additionally presents the free SD Emergency app, which incorporates the ShakeReadySD earthquake early-warning software.
Android telephones and people with the MyShake or ShakeReadySD apps put in have the bottom threshold for earthquake early warnings: They’re set to set off alerts if a quake is estimated at magnitude 4.5 or increased and the depth of shaking on the cellphone’s location is predicted to be “weak” — outlined as Stage 3 on the Modified Mercalli Depth Scale.
Scientists urge California residents to obtain the early-warning apps, and say it’s not a foul thought to have multiple means of getting alerts in your cellphone. MyShake is out there for each Apple’s iOS and Android.
What if I don’t have a smartphone?
Individuals who don’t have smartphones or haven’t put in early-warning apps can nonetheless get quake alerts on their cellphones — however just for these through which a better magnitude or increased degree of shaking is projected at their location. These alerts are despatched via the Wi-fi Emergency Alert system, much like Amber Alerts.
