Rich Pedroncelli/AP
The California legislature sent a bill to the desk of Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday that would require the state to build an earthquake early warning system.?
When it comes to preparing for a major earthquake, every second is precious.
The California legislature has passed a bill Thursday evening that would require the state to develop an $80 million earthquake early warning system that could give officials as much as 60 seconds to alert residents before a major temblor strikes.
?We live in earthquake country. When it comes to earthquakes in California, it is not a matter of if, but when,? State Sen. Alex Padilla, the bill?s lead sponsor, said in a statement. ?A fully developed earthquake early warning system will provide Californians critical seconds to take cover, assist loved ones, or pull over safely to the side of the road. It could allow time to stop a train and power down critical infrastructure. Most importantly, it will save lives.?
RELATED: CALIFORNIA MULLS $80 MILLION EARTHQUAKE WARNING SYSTEM
The California Integrated Seismic Network, a consortium of researchers from CalTech, the University of California at Berkeley and the United States Geological Survey, has been testing out the prototype for the new warning system since the year 2000.
Shown to be effective in numerous trial runs, the system works by using sensors to detect small P waves, the first sign that an earthquake is about to occur. By analyzing the P waves, scientists can quickly calculate how large the much more damaging S waves will be and alert officials what is on the way.
Those crucial seconds can make a big difference.
RELATED: NEW EARTHQUAKE WARNING SYSTEM WORKS IN CALIFORNIA
?If BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) were knocked out, that would be catastrophic to the Bay Area economy,? David Oppenheimer, project chief for CISN?s Northern California division, told the Daily News. ?But if you have enough warning so that you can stop or slow down trains so that they don?t derail, you save lots of money.?
It?s unclear whether Gov. Jerry Brown will sign the measure, but Padilla is hopeful.
?We need to develop this system without delay. California is going to have an earthquake early warning system, the question is whether we have one before or after the next big quake,? Padilla said.
Experts say there is a 94% chance that an earthquake measuring 7.0 on the richter scale will hit California in the next 30 years.
DKnowles@nydailynews.com
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