Sen. Alex Padilla hopes to give Californians some very valuable seconds
by Brian Leubitz
On the East Coast, their major disasters give a bit of notice that they are coming. Hurricane tracking isn’t perfect, but at the very least, those living along the coast have some time to decide whether they want to evacuate. Earthquakes, not so much.
The technology for earthquake detection currently maxes out at about 60 seconds of warning. But for a big earthquake, that warning could save quite a few lives. Sen. Alex Padilla is pushing a bill to set up such a system in California, and apparently this is very real.
“A fully developed earthquake early warning system would provide Californians critical seconds to take cover, assist loved ones, or pull over safely to the side of the road. It could allow time to stop a train and power down other critical infrastructure,” said Senator Alex Padilla.
“An earthquake early warning would speed the response of critical public safety personnel by quickly identifying areas hardest hit by the quake,” Padilla said. “California is going to have an earthquake early warning system, the question is whether we have one before or after the next big quake,” added Padilla.
The bill, SB 135, was passed out of the Senate Governmental Organization Committee, and next heads to the Natural Resources Committee. Current cost estimates are running well under $100 million, which seems like quite the bargain.
They have this in Japan and I’m surprised we don’t have it here and that it’s been so hard to get it. It might only give 20 – 30 seconds warning, but that’s enough to get under a table. The one time I saw it go off, I was in a restaurant in Tokyo at lunch and everyone’s cellphone started buzzing. Of course, everyone ignored it, but still…