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California Today

California Today: Mexico Has a Quake Warning System. Where is California’s?

A quake left a crack along a street in Napa in 2014. Seismologists say California is bound to experience a major earthquake in the coming decades.Credit...Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Good morning.

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Two major earthquakes in Mexico this month have served as a reminder to Californians.

It’s just a matter of time.

Seismologists say California is due for a major earthquake within the next few decades. One nightmare scenario predicts roughly 1,800 people killed.

Some steps have been taken to prepare. After the Loma Prieta and Northridge earthquakes, billions of dollars were spent to fortify structures across the state.

But more than a decade after development began on an earthquake early warning system, the project is still years away from full implementation.

In Mexico, which has such a system, sirens went off in the capital city on Tuesday about 15 seconds before the major shaking began, providing a precious window to flee to safer ground.

Here’s a look at the plan in California:

How would the warning system work?

A network of sensors placed near fault lines detect shaking and alert nearby communities through television, radio, phone and other channels.

Modern telecommunications travel faster than seismic waves. So in essence, the warnings are able to outrun the shaking.

People could get anywhere from a few seconds to more than a minute of warning, depending on the intensity of the quake and the distance from its epicenter.

That poses a crucial caveat: If a big quake kicks off right near a city, the alerts might not do much good.

Where does the project stand?

Roughly 500 earthquake sensors are already in the ground. Another 500 or so need to be placed.

Jennifer Strauss, from the U.C. Berkeley Seismology Lab, said the warning system — known as ShakeAlert — is being introduced in phases. Some transit and emergency agencies are already linked up.

Next year, the plan calls for limited regional rollouts.

One critical objective, getting phones into the network, could take another several years.

What’s taking so long?

Mexico created its warning system after more than 5,000 people died in the 1985 Mexico City earthquake. The devastating Kobe earthquake of 1995 prompted Japan to add one as well.

“If we had a major damaging earthquake in California, we too would magically find, not only the capital investment, but the will,” said Ms. Strauss. “But we haven’t had one of those.”

Even now, California’s program isn’t a sure thing. President Trump’s budget called for ending its federal funding. Congressional members of both parties have pushed back.

Mark Ghilarducci, director of the California’s office of emergency services, said getting the system in place was a major priority for the state.

“It’s a life-saving thing,” he said on Wednesday. “If you just look at the images from Mexico City, being able to get under cover, cover and hold, get to a safe zone. That’s really phenomenal.”

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• San Francisco and Oakland sued five oil companies over climate change, seeking billions of dollars in compensation. [Reuters]

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• After years of largely avoiding regulation, businesses like Facebook and Google are coming under increasing scrutiny from lawmakers concerned about their expanding power. [The New York Times]

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• A Sacramento area school board voted to allow books about transgender people to be read in kindergarten classes after an emotional debate. [Sacramento Bee]

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Summer’s just about over.

As if to underscore the transition, the Sierra Nevada is now expected to get its first measurable snowfall of the season.

A cold front that moved into Northern California on Wednesday was forecast to drop at least a few inches of snow at elevations higher than 8,000 feet by the end of Thursday.

“It’s just the beginning of fall. It’s not even winter, so it’s pretty interesting,” said Evan LaGuardia, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Reno office.

After last winter’s epic snowfall, the ski and snowboard season is only getting a short break this year.

Mammoth Mountain, in the Eastern Sierra, plans to open its slopes on Nov. 9, a mere three months since ending its last season in early August.

Mt. Rose Ski Resort, which has Tahoe’s highest base elevation, is angling to be the first California-Nevada ski resort to reopen this year.

Its target date: Oct. 27.

California Today goes live at 6 a.m. Pacific time weekdays. Tell us what you want to see: CAtoday@nytimes.com.

The California Today columnist, Mike McPhate, is a third-generation Californian — born outside Sacramento and raised in San Juan Capistrano. He lives in Los Osos.

California Today is edited by Julie Bloom, who grew up in Los Angeles and graduated from U.C. Berkeley.

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