SoCal Company Begins Marketing First Personal Earthquake Warning Device
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) - By now you may have heard that voice that warns earthquake researchers of coming quakes, but in the future the heads up may be coming out of your own phone.
A Santa Monica company known as Early Warning Labs has begun offering pre-orders of a device that will let you know shaking is about to start. The company also has an app they say can warn you on the go.
Here is their description of what you get if you sign up:
- Play an Emergency Alert Tone
- Notify you how "Intense" the shaking will be (light, medium, heavy, etc)
- Give you a countdown as to when the actual shaking will start
TechCrunch reports that the app will be free but the in-home devices will cost roughly $100.
Currently California has a few hundred operating earthquake sensors but a plan calls for 1,200 statewide and State Sen. Alex Padilla said a robust early system has a goal to be up and running in 2016. While the technology is readily available, the money to fund such a project is not.