🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <CARASSO.94Jan24112935@Quaestor.Inference.COM>,
dr. carasso <carasso@Inference.COM> wrote:
>
>
>An Earthquake travels --what-- about 900 MPH?  The speed of sound in
>dirt.  Northdrige the quake center is 15 miles away where a lot of
>damage happened.  If there was a sensor and an alarm you would know 60
>seconds before the earthquake hit.  Even 15 seconds, enoough time to
>wake up and get under a table could save 100's of lives, in a strong
>quake.  
>
>Why is this not being done!  Why is there not Earthquake monitors
>throughout California that would warn the surrounding towns!  Why
>aren't all radios, tvs, and air raid sirens, immediately ringing the
>warning!

They tried this in Mexico City last year.
There were at least two false alarms- one missed a significant quake,
the other triggered when there was no quake.  The latter caused some panic.
They decided to cut out the public part of the alarm until it was
more reliable.  The professional seismologists were divided over the issue.
Reported in the NY Times a few weeks ago.