ShakeAlert warnings give people time to protect themselves – but so far, few have done so

The Conversation is an independent, non-profit source for news, analysis, and commentary from academic experts.

(Conversation) My Facebook feed exploded shortly after noon on December 20, 2021, with news from friends and family in Northern California: “Big news!” The epicenter of the 6.2-magnitude earthquake they had just hit was on the coast near Petrolia.

However, many social media posts didn’t focus on the quake itself, but the alert was sent to cellphones seconds before — or, for some, just as the big shaking started.

The ShakeAlert system is a great technology, which took years to make. It has the potential to save tens of thousands of lives in areas of high intensity earthquakes by providing a warning of a few seconds – enough time for people to take basic safety precautions. While cool, ShakeAlert only saves lives if people understand what they should do when they receive such an alert – and they do.

I am part of a multidisciplinary group that includes psychologists like myself, other sociologists, natural hazard experts, seismologists, geophysicists, and communication and education professionals whose goal is to design earthquake preparedness and response systems that improve safe outcomes. Some of us work together to analyze video footage of various earthquakes posted on social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Videos during the earthquake centered in Petrolia are the first we’ve seen of what people do – or don’t do – when they receive a ShakeAlert-powered alert. The shots indicate we have more work to do.

Detection and warning of impending earthquakes

The ShakeAlert system relies on a massive network of seismic detectors distributed around the West Coast that capture the shaking of the initial earthquake.

For people close to the epicenter, the time it takes to process the data and send an alert could mean it arrived just right, or perhaps seconds after the big shaking started. Even this almost simultaneous notice is valuable, because it helps people realize what is happening, which is often not clear.

For those far from the epicenter, the alert may arrive seconds, or even tens of seconds, before a strong shaking. This is enough time to automatically shutdown or alter operations of major systems – for example, to slow or stop trains, control equipment involved in precision medical procedures, or electrical networks. It is also enough time to prepare mentally, as well as to take preventive measures that may save a life.

To increase your chances of getting out of a major earthquake alive and intact, most experts recommend in most cases — in California, Oregon, and Washington — that you “drop, cover, and wait,” or DCHO for short. The alert message that appears on your mobile phone reminds you what to do.

ShakeAlert is the only earthquake early warning system for the public in the US, launched in Oregon in March 2021, and in May expanded to the entire US West Coast. The system sends alerts through a group of delivery partners. For example, Google Android phones display alerts via their operating system. Depending on where people live, they can install alert apps – MyShake, QuakeAlert USA, or San Diego Emergency ShakeReadySD – on their smartphones. The FEMA system that sends emergency messages such as Amber Alerts also issues earthquake warnings.

Substantial previous research has helped shape the content that is conveyed in ShakeAlert-powered alerts, as well as the key messages that occur immediately after the alerts. Getting all of this right is critical, and work in progress is still in progress.

What people do before and during earthquakes

Until recently, researchers had to rely primarily on post-truth or “did you feel it?” interviews. Post-earthquake surveys to find out what people remember during an earthquake.

In the past several years, closed-circuit television footage has begun to reveal how people really respond to high-intensity vibration. These recordings are not distorted by individuals’ understandably imperfect memories of a chaotic and stressful event. Although people have often reported taking preventative measures such as “falling, covering, and waiting” during the earthquake, analyzes of CCTV footage to date show that DCHO is, to date, actually very rare.

However, there are some encouraging exceptions. For example, CCTV footage from the 7.2 magnitude earthquake in 2018 in Anchorage, Alaska, shows a teacher and students in a middle school classroom collectively representing DCHO on the spot and without errors.

Petroleum earthquake videos offer the first opportunity to see if ShakeAlert-enabled messaging will change people’s behavior before, during, and even after a major earthquake. So far, in the footage we’ve seen, people have noticed the alert but have done nothing significant to protect themselves.

In fact, no one in any of these videos from December 20 took the precaution of “falling, covering and hanging,” regardless of whether, when, or when they received an alert. Many people stayed put, showed the alert on their phones to others and watched excitedly as things swayed and smashed to the ground.

It was frozen in the face of an emergency

My colleagues and I hope that a better understanding of what people are actually doing during the Great Earth shaking will suggest ways to modify alerts so that they inspire people to take safer action. It’s quite a challenge because doing nothing when an earthquake starts seems to be very common.

A 2021 survey conducted in both Seattle and Sendai, Japan found that stop-and-go was the dominant response to significant ground shaking, even though it put people at risk of serious injury from falling or colliding with falling objects. There are several possible causes.

A big earthquake is a new experience for many people, and often they may simply not know what to do. In addition, there are potential barriers to implementing “fall, cover, and wait”. Age, disability, and high body mass can make falls to the ground and cover a problem, although there are comprehensive approaches to DCHO.

[Over 140,000 readers rely on The Conversation’s newsletters to understand the world. Sign up today.]

Even when people know what to do in an emergency, evidence suggests that they may feel ashamed or embarrassed to take action. Classical social science research indicates how contagious it can be, in the face of a variety of emergencies, to do nothing, resulting in cascading paralysis of all present.

By falling, covering, and holding on to the right thing when you receive an alert, you may unleash similar protective measures in others near you, possibly saving them, as well as yourself, from injury or death. In this way, doing a DCHO when you get an alert – despite the potential for embarrassment – is actually a form of daily heroism.

This article has been republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos