Countries such as Japan, Taiwan and Mexico all have early warning systems in place to warn citizens five to ten seconds before an earthquake hits. Right now, only a limited system exists in California to warn hospitals, trains, nuclear plants and anyone with a phone app of an impending quake. That could be about to change as the California Senate debates whether or not to spend $80 million to help fix glitches to the current system and implement earthquake monitors statewide. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is also set to announce $5 million in federal grants to help the city of Los Angeles build its own earthquake warning system.
ARN host Omar Shamout spoke with Egill Hauksonn, a researcher at Caltech's Seismological Laboratory, about the specific challenges California faces in putting a statewide system in place.
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