Great ShakeOut Rolls Out ‘ShakeAlert’ at Pasadena’s Caltech

Lucy Jones, research associate in geophysics at Caltech and founder and chief scientist at the Dr. Lucy Jones Center for Science and Society. – Photo by Terry Miller / Beacon Media News

By Terry Miller

On Wednesday, Oct. 17 Dr. Lucy Jones, Representatives Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Judy Chu (D-CA), participated in a press conference at the California Institute of Technology with seismologists and officials from Caltech, USGS and the California Office of Emergency Services to announce the roll-out of ShakeAlert, the West Coast earthquake early warning system, and its key role in protecting public safety and infrastructure.

Years in the planning stages, Caltech officials were delighted to announce Wednesday the beginning of the new technology. ShakeAlert, an innovative technology designed to alert people about a significant earthquake before shaking arrives, was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey, UC Berkeley, California Institute of Technology, University of Washington and University of Oregon in partnership with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. Even with just a few seconds of warning, trains can be slowed or stopped, a surgery can be paused, and a person can brace themselves or quickly take shelter.

Since 2014, Rep. Schiff and his colleagues in Congress have been working to provide the sustained funding needed to build out ShakeAlert and get it up and running. They have secured over $45 million dollars for the system so far, with more expected this year. For the past few years, researchers and emergency service authorities have been beta testing the system, ensuring its accuracy and reliability.

There is now more than half the number of sensors installed that are needed for a fully-operational system along the West Coast. Businesses, schools and local governments can now work with ShakeAlert partners to distribute the alerts for members of their organizations. Fifty pilot projects are now up and running for public transportation systems, schools, hospitals, utilities, and more. ShakeAlert is becoming available to the general public, and soon individuals will be able to receive alerts through their phones, a system that California will begin testing this winter.

Millions of Californians will take an important step toward earthquake safety this Thursday, Oct. 18, at 10:18 a.m. during the 10th annual Great California ShakeOut drill, by practicing how to “drop, cover, and hold on” when the ground shakes.

Most Californians live within 30 miles of an active fault. Scientists say there is a 99 percent chance of a magnitude 6.7 or greater earthquake striking our state within the next 30 years.

“Knowing what to do when the ground shakes should be instinctive for everyone who lives in California,” said California Earthquake Authority (CEA) CEO Glenn Pomeroy. “This simple drill will save lives the next time California is hit by a powerful earthquake.”

CEA is the not-for-profit provider of residential earthquake insurance in California and now insures more than 1 million homes. CEA has lowered rates by over 50 percent since it was established in the wake of the 1994 Northridge earthquake, and now offers a wide range of coverage and deductible options.

In addition to providing earthquake insurance, CEA has teamed up with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) to establish the Earthquake Brace + Bolt (EBB) program to help owners of older houses reduce expensive shake damage by bracing their raised foundation and bolting their house to the foundation in accordance with current building codes. Since the launch of EBB in 2013, more than 6,400 homeowners have received grants of up to $3,000 from EBB to retrofit their houses.

“When the ground shakes under an older house that hasn’t been properly retrofitted, the house can act as if a rug has been pulled out from underneath it,” said Pomeroy. “Houses built prior to 1980 often topple completely off their foundation in an earthquake and may not be livable for a couple of years—if they can be repaired at all.”

Registration for the 2019 EBB seismic retrofit grant program is now open through Nov. 13 for eligible homeowners in select ZIP codes.

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