Early-quake alarm ready in 5 years, say scientists

David Perlman, San Francisco Chronicle Science Editor

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

An earthquake early-warning system - like the one that saved lives last month in Japan - could be operating in California within five years, giving residents a full 60 seconds to prepare for a Big One, leading seismic researchers said Tuesday.

Japan's warning system set alarms and cell phones sounding in Tokyo, allowing the city's schoolchildren and residents nearly a half-minute to duck and cover, said Richard Allen, assistant director of UC Berkeley's Seismological Laboratory.

Allen said teams of scientists have been working for more than a decade to develop a statewide warning system, and now it's time to complete the work. He estimated the system could be up and running at a cost of $80 million. Annual operating costs would be $20 million.

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