Earthquake Early Warning in California Shifts Closer

[lexw]

Source: LiveScience.com

An early warning system for California earthquakes could soon get a much-needed dose of money, a state lawmaker announced today (Jan 28).

State Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) introduced legislation to fund a California-wide earthquake early warning system during a press conference at Caltech. The technology for a warning system already exists, through a prototype called the California Integrated Seismic Network, but scientists need more money to take it public. Other earthquake-prone countries with public warning systems include Japan, Mexico, Taiwan and Turkey.

The estimated cost to create a public warning system is $80 million. This will cover adding new seismic monitoring equipment and upgrading the state's existing network, as well as public outreach and education, said Lucy Jones, senior adviser for risk reduction for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), one of the monitoring network partners. "If we were building it from scratch, it would cost $650 million," she said.

...

Read more: http://www.livescience.com/26653-earthquake-early-warning-bill-california.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Livesciencecom+%28LiveScience.com+Science+Headline+Feed%29

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Mexico has a warning system, and the U.S. doesn't.
:/

[allan01]

1. re:Earthquake Early Warning in California Shifts Closer

Last edited Tue Jan 29, 2013, 11:29 AM - Edit history (1)

tis about time . here is an example of the japanese early warning system in action a few minutes before the great eastern japan quake of 2011( mag 9.0) ,,,

follow up: those few minutes saved lives and note this can go over radio, cell phone and the japanese use left over airraid sirens from ww2 to alert people out doors with the siren and announcements. there are even radio activaded personal alarms.

[lexw]

2. A few minutes?? That's awesome!

Thanks for sharing this!
So many lives were probably saved by this. I hope we can do this very soon.

[Control-Z]

6. 36 seconds. If you happen to be listening

the quake warnings could help. The tsunami warning a definite life saver.

I live 8 miles from the beach in So Cal and have no idea of how far a tsunami could travel. I'm pretty sure I'm safe, being on higher ground, unless an 11 or something bigger were to hit.

[Lordquinton]

3. Now that the state budget is balanced, we can get on with frivolous spending projects

like saving lives, and housing the poor, and educating the citizens...

[Left Coast2020]

4. I was in China when the quake hit.

One of the things I've wanted to ask what they mean by (I know I'm spelling it worng) "prefecture"? That is a first that I've heard that. What is the translation/ defination for this?

[nilram]

5. Wow, didn't realize this

was so interesting. When I heard that word, I always figured it was something like our states, but it's not (at least in China)...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prefecture_of_China

[davidpdx]

7. I believe it means province essentially

Wikipedia calls them administrative districts. Korea uses the same type of system and were under the colonial rule of Japan for several decades. The large cities in Korea are usually separate from the province even though they maybe inside it.

[happyslug]

11. Those damn Latin Terms, Remember what Latin did to the Romans!!!!

Last edited Tue Jan 29, 2013, 02:37 PM - Edit history (6)

"Latin killed the Romans and now it is killing me" Old saying of latin Students.

Prefecture is a Latin Term. Under the Later Empire (380 AD onward) the Empire was divided into Provinces and then into Dioceses and then Prefectures. A Provence would be equal to a State (be it New York or France), the Diocese would be a region of that Province (Long Island or Brittany) and a Prefecture would be a further division (Staten Island or some other county division).

Another name of Prefecture would be County (When it was ruled by a Count), a March (when it was ruled by a Marquess) or a Parish (When the main government office was the local Catholic Priest). Yes, in the US we use the term County for that was the term in use in England when the Colonies were formed (Parish is used in Louisiana). Our counties have never been ruled by a Count but the term survived crossing the ocean

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prefecture

Side note: The difference between a County and a March, was Marches were on the borders of Countries, and thus potential areas of conflict with other countries (The Term March was from the fact these areas were within a day's March of the rest of the Country). Most Marches are called Counties today (and in the US the term March was never used for a form of local government).

In China (when Translated into some Western language) it roughly means a "County":

When used in the context of Chinese history, especially China before the Tang Dynasty, the word "prefecture" is used to translate xian. This unit of administration is translated as "county" when used in a contemporary context. That's because of the increase of the number of "xian" and the decrease of their sizes over time in the Chinese history.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prefecture

Side note: Since the Fall of the Roman Empire the various terms used at the end of the Empire survived, not only in Church organizations but in most of Western Europe till the French Revolution and the subsequent concentration of power in the State as oppose to local Dioceses. This centralization saw the conversion of regional governments to something more like Counties in the US as opposed to independent regions within a state.,

Given the desire of the various States to be equal to the old Roman Empire starting with the Renaissance, it became common for them to assume the Title of being a "State" or "Nation" as oppose to be a "Provence" of the old Roman Empire. This freed up the term "Provence" to be used for areas previously called "Diocese". Given that both the Catholic and Protestant Churches kept up the Name "Diocese" for roughly the same areas, "Provence" and "Diocese" became interchangeable then "Provence" became the dominant name. Both appears to have kept the term Prefecture (or Parish) for local county like sub-organizations.

In modern Urban Society most churches have adopted Dioceses and Parish that are much smaller then they had been in pre-modern times, due to both Dioceses and Parishes being attempts to organize people into a certain size in population regional government as oppose to a geographical size area of Government.

It appears China had followed the Pattern of the Churches, making more and more prefectures so that each prefecture has about the same number of people in it (Through this is less true of Urban Areas, just like Counties in the US have NOT decrease in size and their population increase with more and more people living in Urban areas). Thus the Xian of China is closer to your local Church Parish (A prefecture) in an American Urban County, but can be more like a County in Rural America. Just a note on what is a XIan and what the terms Prefecture has meant and does mean.

[davidpdx]

8. I'm with Lex Luther

Let California fall into the ocean.

Seriously though...the first time that thing goes off there will be widespread panic. If it's a false alarm and people get killed, who is to blame?

If the big one does hit and you are in California, bend over and kiss your ass goodbye.

[CreekDog]

9. bad post

[Flying Squirrel]

10. +1

[davidpdx]

12. Oh don't take it personally

I was born in California. Grew up in Oregon which is why I poke fun at the state.

[Le Taz Hot]

13. Re this whole "Let California fall into the ocean" thing?

First, you and Lex might want to read up on plate tectonics. The Pacific Plate is moving downward (south), the North American Plate is moving upward (north) so, in about a million years or so, San Francisco and L.A. will be next-door neighbors. Note, nothing is going to "fall" into anything.

Second, Californians will not engage in "widespread panic." Well, the transplants will, but the natives and the people who have been here more than 45 minutes will just don their "sea legs" and wonder how long this one's going to last.

Third, if/when the "Big One" does occur, only a portion of California will be directly affected which leaves the rest of us for the rescue/clean up effort.

Finally, engaging in contortionist self-gratification is always optional and not dependent upon seismological events.

[davidpdx]

14. No, I don't know anything about tectonics. That's not what I studied

Which is why I've quoted a movie that is 35 years old (I believe it was the first Superman movie). If LA and SF become neighbors obviously there is going to be major damage.

In terms of the widespread panic, that is more psychological/sociological which is an area I have some experience with. Seriously if you believe there isn't going to be widespread chaos and panic you are very much underestimating society.

Edit: Also depending on where it hits, how powerful it is and whether it is shallow or deep you have to also add in the possibility of a tsunami like the ones in Thailand/India/Pacific area in 2004 and the in Japan a few years ago.

[lunatica]

15. In the article it says some of those millions are for educating the public

It works beautifully in Japan. When you set out to educate the public about disasters it saves lives. Getting people to know to stand in doorways or to get under tables or under beds will get them to do it. Getting students to get under their desks will actually work in an earthquake, unlike a nuclear attack. Getting people at work to get under their desks also helps. Having a plan, such as already exists for how to act and where to go during a fire alarm and having building safety groups monitoring the activity is part of earthquake and fire activity.

In our department everyone has an emergency backback with essentials like flash lights, batteries, radio, injury supplies, light plastic raincoats, water, duct tape, etc. in every office placed under the desk where you will go when the earthquake happens. Instructions like getting away from windows and many other details can be taught.

There may be panic, but it will probably be less than what happens now.

[KamaAina]

16. Standing in doorways is not really best practice

http://www.consrv.ca.gov/index/Earthquakes/Pages/qh_earthquakes_myths.aspx

The safest place to be in an earthquake is under a doorway. That's true only if you live in an unreinforced adobe home. In a modern structure the doorway is no stronger than the rest of the building. Actually, you're more likely to be hurt (by the door swinging wildly) in a doorway. And in a public building, you could be in danger from people trying to hurry outside. If you're inside, get under a table or desk and hang on to it.

I have heard a possibly apocryphal tale from the San Fernando quake of '71. A group of people were in a high-rise when the quake hit. Panic ensued. Then someone said, "I'm from San Francisco. We stand in a doorway."

Someone else piped up, "I'm from Portland, Oregon. Where do we stand?"

[lunatica]

17. Yup. That's why earthquake education would be good

Each area is different. Telling people who work in tall buildings what to do is different than telling someone who is traveling under freeway overpasses, or living on flat land in a one story house.

Living in earthquake country in the Bay Area, I would like to know how to act in different situations.

[CreekDog]

18. sort of misleading, because it is safer if you can't get to a table

being in a doorway does give you some shelter from falling debris, it also allows you to hold on.

a table is more ideal but you can't always get to one during an earthquake.

they even say that smaller rooms are better, all things being equal than larger ones, basically having more structural support and less likely for the ceiling or walls to collapse.