New Earthquake Evasion App "QuakeAlert" To Save You From Seismic Shakes

Over 1,400 earthquakes have occurred in the last month, some with extremely devastating results.  Now, a firm called Early Warning Labs is set to give those in afflicted areas a heads-up via a new smartphone app.

As reported by the Daily Mail, the QuakeAlert system was created in a partnership between the U.S. government and experts in the seismology field.  QuakeAlert works twofold, with a warning sent via app to the user's smartphone, but also to various alarms one could place in their home or office.  The alarms give a countdown of probable "safe" time left, allowing people to plan their escapes from quake zones and tend to safety measures like disabling vulnerable gas lines.

Your travel plans might need all the advance notice possible.
(Image courtesy crisisboom.files.wordpress.com.)

The app grades the impending quakes on brutality from light to severe, so one knows what to expect.  Hints regarding all manner of earthquake safety are also issued.  Their stated mission is to "improve, expand, and lower the costs of the existing earthquake early warning systems."

You will also now have a leg up on looters / emergency-supply gatherers.
(Image courtesy discovermagazine.com.)

The app works by taking data from a network of seismic sensors.  The sensors judge the early earthquake's "P-wave" activity, enabling emergency warnings to preclude the major event.  Location, magnitude, and overall reach of the earthquake are then sent to the user.  A second warning is sent before the next phase, a.k.a "S-wave" activity (where much of the shaking and damages occur.)

Overall the network will hopefully help to save lives and instill a better sense of planning during these frenetic events.  The app itself is free, though the alarms will cost $100 each.  Still, it's a small price to pay for peace of mind when pieces of the earth pay you no mind.

Education for better evasion.
(Image courtesy thompsonreuters.com.)