The California Earthquake Warning app is now available on more devices

California's free earthquake early warning app is now available for Mac computers and Chromebooks — a major expansion in access to the warning system, which has been available for years on mobile phones.

The MyShake app, developed by UC Berkeley, is one of the most popular ways to receive earthquake early warnings generated by the USGS's ShakeAlert system, which provides alerts in California, Oregon and Washington. The app has been downloaded nearly 4 million times since its launch in late 2019.

MyShake was already available on iPhone, iPad, and Android phones. UC Berkeley is also working on making MyShake available for Windows, said Richard Allen, director of the Berkeley Seismic Laboratory.

More than half a million people in California received early warnings through MyShake on December 5 for a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck in the Pacific Ocean 30 miles off the coast of Humboldt County, and on December 9 for a 5.7 magnitude earthquake with an epicenter about About 50 miles southeast of California. Reno, which was widely felt throughout central California.

Some users got up to 15 seconds of warning before they felt shaking from the quake off Humboldt County, officials said. Some people got more than 10 seconds of warning about the Nevada earthquake.

On August 6, more than 517,000 early warning alerts were sent to MyShake users about a 5.2 magnitude earthquake that struck Kern County, near the Grapevine section of Interstate 5. People across Southern California said they received a few seconds of warning before they felt shaking. .

Earthquake early warning systems work on the scientific principle that vibrating waves moving through rock travel more slowly than current communications systems — similar to the way you might see a bolt of lightning seconds before you hear thunder.

For example, it would take more than a minute for a 7.8-magnitude earthquake starting in the Salton Sea to be felt along the San Andreas Fault 150 miles away in Los Angeles.

The further you are from the epicenter, the more warning you are likely to get. But if you're very close to the epicenter, the warning may arrive after you've already begun to feel the shaking.

The USGS ShakeAlert system relies on a wide array of seismic sensors in the ground to detect shaking as soon as it occurs. This information is then sent to computers to determine if and where to send an alert.

Officials advise people to fall, cover and hold on when they hear an alert of an upcoming shaking.

California Governor Gavin Newsom praised the expansion of the MyShake app, which is provided in partnership with the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, to include more devices.

“I encourage Californians to download the MyShake app on their phones, laptops or tablets to receive these important alerts, and be sure to turn on emergency notifications on mobile devices,” Newsom said in a statement.

The MyShake app is set to trigger alerts if the quake's magnitude is estimated at 4.5 or higher, and the shaking intensity at the phone's location is expected to be at least “weak” — which is defined as Level 3 on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale. The intensity of vibration is defined as that which is noticeable to people indoors, especially on the upper floors of a building, and may cause cars to shake slightly. Some people inside may liken this feeling to vibrations from a passing truck.

Apple says there's a setting you can change on your iPhone to improve the speed, accuracy, and reliability of emergency alerts. To do this, you can activate “local awareness” by going to Settings, then Notifications; Scroll down to “Government Alerts,” then tap “Emergency Alerts” and navigate to the option.

On its website, MyShake suggests opening the app every month or so to keep it “fresh and ready for alerts.” Not using the app for a long period of time may cause the app to enter a deep sleep state.

MyShake suggests that an easy way to do this is to tap the app when it notifies you — without any urgent warning sounds — that a major earthquake has occurred somewhere around the world, which usually happens every two weeks. “By tapping on this notification, and opening the MyShake app, you can keep the app up to date, without having to rely on your reminders.”

MyShake is now also available in six languages: English, Spanish, Tagalog, Korean, Vietnamese, and Chinese – the last language to be expressed in Mandarin, and using traditional characters. MyShake will use the first language it supports from your device's Language & Region settings, but on iPhone you can change the language by going to Settings, then Apps, and choosing MyShake before choosing your preferred language.

People without computers or smartphones can still get earthquake alerts on their cell phones — but only for those where the tremor is expected to be of a higher magnitude or higher level in their location. These alerts are sent through a wireless emergency alert system, similar to Amber Alerts.

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