State won’t pay for early warning system it approved this year
by Brian Leubitz
On September 24, Governor Brown signed SB 135 by Sen. Alex Padilla to create the so-called “ShakeAlert” earthquake early warning system. You would think that a great boon for earthquake damage prevention, right? Well, there’s a catch in the bill, it cannot be paid for by the general fund:
The Office of Emergency Services shall identify funding for the system described in subdivision (a) through single or multiple sources of revenue that shall be limited to federal funds, funds from revenue bonds, local funds, and private grants. The Office of Emergency Services shall not identify the General Fund as a funding source for the purpose of establishing the system described in subdivision (a), beyond the components or programs that are currently funded. (SB 135 Bill Text. Sec 8587 (c))
This is part of a more general discussion on the use of external funding mechanisms and the rise of the beggar state. Relying on private contributions is no way to run a sustainable government. We can’t be at the whim of every random billionaire with a foundation. But more specific to this issue, these limitations minimize the importance of the system. ShakeAlert won’t give us hours, but the 30-ish seconds that it can provide can save lives. The system is no longer just a far-out concept: it really works.
In Japan, an alert network established in 2007 offered several seconds of advanced warning to 52 million people prior to a magnitude 9.0 quake that struck in 2011. And last year, sirens rang out in Mexico City around 30 seconds before a magnitude 7.4 earthquake rocked the region. “Japan and Mexico already have these systems. Even Turkey, Taiwan, and Romania have some early warning infrastructure in place,” Allen says. “Needless to say, we’re quite far behind.” (The Verge)
The Verge article about our preparedness is well worth a full read. It lays bare our national failures in this area. Despite our own state’s lack of funding for ShakeAlert, no other state has even gone so far. And given the rise of fracking-induced earthquakes, a national system seems wise.
Somehow the state needs to come up with the $80mil over five years to create the system, but delays could cost a lot more.