Earthquake early alert system ready to expand in California - LA Times

Earthquake early alert system ready to expand in California - LA Times: "The warnings would allow fire stations to get garage doors open before a quake can jam them shut, instruct students to duck and cover, and, eventually, automatically shut off sensitive equipment at private companies and tell surgeons to halt surgery. When the data is more reliable, even amusement parks could have time to shut down rides.

The prospect of expanding the system — which is dependent on federal funding coming through — has brought excitement for both emergency officials and some businesses. Even a few seconds' notice to duck under a sturdy desk could be a matter of surviving a building's collapse, fire officials said.

In Japan, one semiconductor firm that lost more than $15 million in quake damage in 2003 installed machines to automatically shut down sensitive equipment that etches circuit boards. When much larger quakes hit later, the company lost only $200,000."









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