The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) has announced a new campaign Thursday to educate residents on Earthquake Warning California, the state-managed system that uses statewide ground motion sensors to detect tremblors before they can be felt. The system is foundational to early warning app and smartphone notifications and text messages; the campaign, “Don’t Get Caught Off Guard,” refers residents to free tools, resources, and information that include the popular MyShake app for Apple users. It also links to Android earthquake alerts, government Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) and the earthquake.ca.gov website. Here are takeaways on the state’s progress:
• The buildout of the statewide warning system, a network of seismic instruments that generates federal and state-level data, continues, but there “have been delays in the buildout due to public safety concerns and COVID-19,” Amanda Moyer, project manager for the California Earthquake Early Warning Program at CalOES, said via email. In July 2019, Techwire reported that sensors were being placed 10 kilometers apart in urban areas and 20 kilometers apart in rural areas, and about 780 of 1,115 seismic instruments had been set up statewide with installation expected to continue through June 2021. Moyer said 806 sensors have been built and 212 stations funded to date.
Rachel Sierer Wooden, CalOES seismic hazards branch chief, described seismic sensor installation as a “team effort” and one that requires the use of shared all-terrain vehicles and close-proximity work “for extended periods of time, which does not allow for proper social distancing.”
“Additionally, many of the sites are located on (U.S. Forest Service) USFS lands and until a few weeks ago, the USFS had shut down access due to the multiple fires burning across the state. We are working with our partners to determine if the finish timeframe could potentially be impacted,” she told Techwire in an email.
• CalOES continues to work with federal, state, and university partners "to fortify the seismic and telemetry network,” Moyer said, when asked whether the agency is partnering with any private-sector tech vendors on the endeavor. The office has also worked with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, UC Berkeley and Google “to facilitate alert distribution channels,” she said. It’s not certain whether the earthquake early warning system will generate opportunities for tech vendors.
• “Don’t Get Caught Off Guard” promotes the early warning system launched in October 2019 by CalOES, in collaboration with the California Integrated Seismic Network Partners from the U.S. Geological Survey, UC Berkeley, the California Institute of Technology and the California Geological Survey. It provides messaging through digital and broadcast advertising and social media, plus community and industry outreach to boost awareness of the available tech. The MyShake app has been downloaded nearly 1.2 million times to Apple and Android devices.
• The public awareness campaign received roughly $7.1 million from the state’s 2019-2020 Fiscal Year $16.9 million funding allocation, Moyer said. The 2020-2021 FY budget includes $17.3 million for operation and maintenance of the Earthquake Warning California system via a one-time loan from the School Land Bank Fund. That includes $3.5 million to continue the campaign, which will run through April 30, 2022.
