California highlights first-in-the-nation Earthquake Early Warning system on Great ShakeOut Day

SACRAMENTO – As millions of people participate in the international Great ShakeOut drill today, California is highlighting the importance of earthquake preparedness and the state’s first-in-the-nation Earthquake Early Warning system, which provides millions of Californians extra seconds to take protective actions before shaking occurs.
 
The Great ShakeOut is observed annually on October 17, the date of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. This magnitude 6.9 earthquake resulted in 63 deaths, thousands injured and displaced, and widespread damage to buildings and infrastructure.
 
Launched under Governor Gavin Newsom’s leadership, California’s nation-leading Earthquake Early Warning system notifies residents in advance of shaking by using ground motion sensors across California. Fifty percent more sensors have been installed since the program launched in 2019, making the system more accurate and able to deliver alerts faster.

Alerts from the MyShake App and Earthquake Early Warning system arrived on mobile phones up to 35 seconds before shaking from recent earthquakes began. Last month, this system provided advance notification to millions of Californians in Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties of a magnitude 4.7 earthquake near Malibu. In August, it alerted Californians throughout Central and Southern California ahead of shaking from a 5.2 magnitude earthquake.