L.A.’s earthquake early warning system can save lives, but what about the rest of California?

By Martin Wisckol

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The pilot program, officially unveiled Jan. 3, can provide crucial seconds — even dozens of seconds — for people to duck and cover or otherwise take potentially lifesaving actions. Dubbed ShakeAlertLA, it’s the first earthquake early warning system of its type in the country. But that also means the rest of California continues without such alerts.

Despite its reputation for both earthquakes and high-tech innovation, [California's statewide launch] plan has progressed sluggishly while a handful of other quake-prone countries — including Mexico — have launched successful early warning programs.

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One reason California trails [other] countries is that it hasn’t received the same funding priority.

“A simple answer is that seismic risk is roughly fives times greater in Japan — more faults, faults under more of the country and faster moving faults,” said USC seismologist John Vidale, former chairman of the Southern California Earthquake Center.

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But funding momentum here has been growing, with last year’s federal allocation of $22.9 million doubling the previous year’s amount. State funding also hit a new high at $15 million.

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Another key obstacle to a statewide launch is the cellphone networks’ ability to handle such a massive, simultaneous blast of information, according to Heaton.

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