[californiadisasters] DC Quake: Will It Help SoCal Get Emergency Quake Funding?

DC jolted: will lawmakers approve funding for earthquake warning system?

By Olga Spilewsky and Conan Nolan

|  Wednesday, Aug 24, 2011  |  Updated 7:48 PM PDT

One day after the Virginia earthquake, East Coasters are starting to pick up the pieces.

But here in California, the quake talk is getting people thinking about when the "big one" will hit.

Seismologist have been placing sensors all around the state for years to record our earth shaking. But, it's not an early warning system.

Now that our nation's capital got a big jolt, will lawmakers "green light" emergency funding for an early warning system? Some experts say the answer is, it's a matter of priorities.

"In the U.S., in my view of the earthquake problem, it's often thought of as a West Coast problem," said Caltech seismologist, Dr. Tom Heaton. "The other part of the country doesn't really see it as a national problem."

Japan has a very extensive early warning alert system. The Japanese use seismographs to pick up secondary "P" waves, alerting schools, businesses and homes before the primary waves hit. The system is credited for saving many lives in the most recent earthquake in Japan.

"Right now, many in the nation's capital probably view the earthquakes as another California or West Coast idiosyncrasy," said Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Pasadena).

Schiff has been advocating for an early warning system for years. He notes that Japan spends more than 30 times what the U.S. does on earthquakes, likely, he said because Tokyo feels them regularly.

"There's obviously a lot at stake, lives at stake, property at stake," he said. "So, this is something we really need to put into effect."

Source: http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/DC-Quake-Will-it-help-So-Cal-get-emergency-earthquake-funding-128359753.html?__source=Newsletter-Daily

--
Check out http://groups.yahoo.com/group/californiadisasters/
Read my blog at http://eclecticarcania.blogspot.com/
My Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/derkimster
Linkedin profile: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kim-noyes/9/3a1/2b8
Follow me on Twitter @DisasterKim

__._,_.___

Be sure to check out our Links Section at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/californiadisasters/links
Please join our Discussion Group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/californiadisasters_discussion/ for topical but extended discussions started here or for less topical but nonetheless relevant messages.

Your email settings: Individual Email|Traditional
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch to Fully Featured
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe

__,_._,___