A 4.4 magnitude Earthquake jolted Santa Rosa residents on Tuesday, and the US Geological Survey issued a grim reminder on Wednesday that the next quake might be considerably more potent, causing significant, substantial, and widespread damage.
“If you look at the San Francisco Bay Area generally, the probability of a magnitude 6.7 quake or greater in the next 30 years is 72%. So it’s more likely than not,” said Andy Michael, a geophysicist with the USGS.
This is based on seismometers, historical earthquake records, and fault analyses.
“We believe the past is an excellent predictor of the future,” Michael explained.
California’s Early Warning Alert provided a quicker earthquake signal, informing 400,000 individuals of the quakes, mainly via Google and Android smartphones. iPhone users might receive the notice via the My Shake app.
“The California Earthquake Warning System, the country’s first publicly available system, delivered,” stated Jose Lara, Seismic Hazard Branch Manager for the California Office of Emergency Services.
People closest to the epicentre may have received the message during or after the quake, which isn’t much assistance.
People further away, on the other hand, had more time to reply. Vallejo was given an 11-second warning. 19 seconds, Oakland.
“We had a lot of stories about individuals being able to take preventive measures like dropping, covering, and holding on,” Lara added.
The state’s Earthquake Warning System is still in the works. It intends to create an integrated warning system that can enable automated gas and water shutdown at your home and automatic elevator restarting in commercial buildings.
