Early warnings alert residents
Print Edition
RESIDENTS of the provincial capital Chengdu, more than 200km away from the epicenter of the quake, were alerted to the danger by warning systems.
First there was a countdown from the public broadcasting system, then about a minute later, a siren blared as seismic waves hit Chengdu.
“I was about to sleep when I heard the countdown and then the siren,” said a woman surnamed Xie, who lives on the seventh floor of an apartment building in Chengdu. She felt the tremors and rushed downstairs as a safety measure.
Early warnings were also broadcast on local television stations, mobile apps and the Internet.
Residents in the city of Yibin, where Changning is located, received an alarm 10 seconds before the quake hit. The early warning system was jointly built by the Institute of Care-Life, an organization that studies earthquakes in Chengdu, and local emergency management authorities.
“The system uses the theory that radio waves travel faster than seismic waves and provides automatic warnings seconds before quake arrives,” said Wang Tun, director of Care-Life.
Earthquake research has found that being aware of an earthquake three seconds beforehand can save 14 percent of casualties, 10 seconds can save 39 percent of casualties and 20 seconds can save 63 percent of casualties.
The information can also be provided to authorities in charge of projects such as high-speed railway and chemical plants, so they can take emergency measures to avert major economic loss or secondary damage.
The early warning system covers an area of 2.2 million square kilometers, providing services to about 90 percent of the population in China’s quake-prone regions.
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