The ShakeAlert system offers the chance for residents within its range to help prepare for an imminent earthquake, but whether they’ll use the warning to do so remains an open question, according to an article in The Conversation. Built upon a network of seismic detectors across the West Coast, ShakeAlert is designed to detect signs of a quake, and send out alerts to those in the surrounding area, with the intent of given them a chance to react to protect themselves, those around them, or systems and equipment with which they work.
However, despite the advance notice this tool can provide, many recipients of the warnings remain unaware as to how best to react, or are instead more interested in the receipt of the message than in responding to it. Too often, closed-circuit TV footage shows people doing nothing, rather than using the time to “Drop, Cover, and Hold On”. At the moment, while the warnings should help to save lives, more energy now needs to be directed toward educating recipients as to the best course of action one a warning of an incoming quake has been received.
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