California Gov. Gavin Newsom said after the 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit Kern County Tuesday, many Californians received an alert before serious shaking started thanks to a first-in-the-nation early warning system.
The epicenter of the earthquake was in Lamont, California, but it was felt throughout many parts of Southern California.
The “ShakeAlert” early warning system – managed by USGS – detects California earthquakes. The agency partners with apps like “MyShake” that sends alerts to phones.
The governor’s office said MyShake sent more than 517,000 alerts and even more Californians received alerts thanks to a partnership between the state and Google, which integrated alert software into their Android cell phone operating system.
Richard Allen is with the UC Berkeley Seismology Lab which helps run MyShake. He said some users in LA had 20 to 30 seconds warning before the shaking started Tuesday.
“There is always a small region around the epicenter of the earthquake that we can’t get the alert out quickly enough to warn those …