The West Coast earthquake early warning system is getting a $4 million dollar boost from the U.S. Geological Survey.
The grant will benefit four universities, including the University of Oregon, working to develop a network of sensors and informational software designed to give people critical time before a temblor strikes.
The Shake Alert software links together earthquake sensors with a central computing center and an information distribution component, but is currently in beta form. The grant will help develop a production prototype of the software, and the creation of 15 sensor sites in Oregon. Yet, according to Douglas Toomey, a Professor of Geophysics at the U of O, that’s not the final step.
Douglas Toomey: “If we had full funding for the system which would be about 16 million dollars per year, we could have a fully operational West Coast earthquake early warning system within about 3 years.”
In that final form, Shake Alert could provide detailed information through text messages or a smart phone app about the kind of shaking people would experience in a specific area. Oregon Representative Peter Defazio has joined others in congress to push for the funds needed to transition the earthquake early warning system from a demonstration project to an operational network.