Just a few seconds can be the difference between life and death when it comes to an earthquake. The advantage of being notified, even a few seconds before an earthquake, can save your life.
There is an application that notifies 25 seconds before the disaster, which can be enough to save yourself.
What should you do to be notified before an earthquake? Which app to download?
There are two apps that give us the invaluable warning before the actual quake happens.
We can get the alerts from the National Institute for Research and Development in Earth Physics (INCDFP) and from the Android Earthquake Alerts feature.
The National Institute for Research and Development in Physics has 2 accounts in social networks for this purpose – in “Telegram” and in Twitter. Anyone can subscribe and set their phone or computer to send earthquake alerts. Only for earthquakes in Vranca, Romania, however, you can get a notification 25 seconds before the quake. With the rest, the warning comes from 5 to 10 seconds before the earthquake itself.
How does an earthquake early warning system work?
Early warning systems use different technologies to predict earthquakes. Sensors located above seismic zones can be used, as with the INCDFP, or through the accelerometers that we all have in our phones.
Above the seismic zone of Vranca there are more than 30 sensors that read the first pulses of the earthquake. INCDFP facilities estimate the magnitude of the first 3 pulses closest to the sensors. At this point, the energy generated by the earthquake is small and cannot cause serious damage. From the moment of these first 3 pulses to the dangerous wave, about 25 seconds remain, playtech.ro writes. Then humanity can be warned and informed.
Android Earthquake Alerts, on the other hand, uses the accelerometers with which most Android smartphones are equipped, and there are more than 3 billion of them worldwide. This is the largest earthquake detection system.
How does Android Earthquake Alerts work?
Android users can receive earthquake alerts through another free service – Android Earthquake Alerts.
The service records earthquakes around the world and alerts users to upcoming tremors in their region.
Android Earthquake Alerts is not a separate application, but a feature that is part of the Android operating system.
When smartphones in the region detect ground motion, a special algorithm determines the magnitude and location of the earthquake, after which the system alerts users in the affected regions.
How can we receive earthquake notifications?
To receive notifications from Android Earthquake Alerts, we must find the “Emergency Alerts” option in our phone’s settings menu and allow our device to send us threat alerts.
There are many documented cases where the feature has been triggered 5 to 10 seconds before the quake. Some of them are in the USA, Philippines, New Zealand and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Warnings are triggered seconds before an earthquake, but only for tremors above 4.5 on the Richter scale.
Thanks to Android Earthquake Alerts, millions of people get the chance to save their lives by being warned of the impending disaster and given a chance to find a safe place.
