Earthquake Early Warning Videos

Earthquake early warning technology has a number of automated uses, including shutting down gas and water pipelines, stoping elevators at the nearest floor, and halting sensitive supply lines. However, how will warnings be sent out to the public, when the system is in place in California? A variety of videos from countries with earthquake early warning technology, including Japan and Mexico, as well as videos of the demonstration system in place in California will provide an in depth view into how earthquake early warning technology will alert the general public when a comprehensive earthquake early warning system becomes reality in California.

The following video, is a simulation of how an earthquake early warning computer program, known as "The Last Ten Second" would be able to (and has been able to) provide a significant amount of warning in the event of a major earthquake.

The next video is of the demonstration earthquake early warning system that is currently in place in the state of California, that is being tested by companies such as the Bay Area Rapid Transit system. Peggy Hellweg, a geophysicist at the University of California at Berkley explains the system.

The following is another online earthquake early warning demonstration of the earthquake early warning system in place in Japan.

The following video is of the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake, and the earthquake early warning that accompanied it in the same computer program, as seen in the first video. The underestimation of the magnitude of the earthquake by the Japan Meteorological Agency is evident. 

The following video shows numerous earthquake early warning computer programs that are available in Japan. Since the system was unveiled in Japan, a number of earthquake early warning programs have been made by private companies to disseminate the information provided by the Japan Meteorological Agency. The earthquake that triggered the alert was a magnitude 7.3 earthquake off the coast of northeastern Japan in December of 2012.

The following is a video of earthquake early warning in a government building in Mexico City in March of 2012. The building was able to be evacuated before the surface waves, which cause significant shaking, reached the city.

The following video is of earthquake early warning of a TV broadcast of an earthquake early warning in Mexico City during a 7.2 earthquake on April 18, 2014. 

The following video is of six different TV stations in Japan during the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake. Earthquake early warning was issued only for Miyagi, Iwate, Fukushima, Akita, and Yamagata Prefectures, so warnings were not shown on TV stations based in the Tokyo area. Earthquake early warning was issued on the government's channel, NHK (similar to PBS in the US), during a meeting of the parliament. The efficiency of earthquake early warning can be seen in the video.

This video is of the 2008 "Iwate-Miyagi Nairiku Earthquake" which was one of the first major tests of Japan's earthquake early warning system, which was released publicly in 2007. 

This is a video of earthquake early warning on an online weather channel in Japan during the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake. The amount of time that was given to people in the Tokyo area 

can be seen, for the studio is based in Chiba, which is relatively close to Tokyo.

The following video is a prime example of how earthquake early warning should be disseminated to the public over TV stations. Over the course of the video, a warning is given, an announcer provides information on how to protect yourself, earthquake magnitude and intensity information is provided, and a tsunami warning is issued in a timely manner. The video is of the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake, on NHK, the government channel. 

In my opinion, all TV crews in California should watch this video to learn how vital it is to remain calm and provide information in a timely manner in the event that an earthquake early warning has been issued, when the system is in place in the state. 

Here is another video of earthquake early warning on NHK, this time during a magnitude 6.0 earthquake in southern Japan, on April 13, 2013.

Here is yet another video of earthquake early warning on NHK followed by a tsunami advisory on July 12, 2014.

This video illustrates how the general public could respond to earthquakes, by preforming "Drop, Cover, and Hold On" whenever an earthquake early warning is issued. This family received more than 20 seconds to take cover before a moderate earthquake with an intensity of 3 on the Shindo Scale.

The following video is of an earthquake early warning alert that was given through an emergency broadcast text message system (like the WEA wireless emergency alerts given in the US) known as "Area Mail" which is provided by NTT Docomo, one of the wireless carriers in Japan. The alert has a specific vibration and ringtone for earthquake early warning alerts.

The following two videos are of an earthquake early warning false alarm in Japan on August 8, 2013. Warnings were sent to a majority of the southern half of the country via numerous warning pathways. This false alarm was the largest mistake in the short history of earthquake early warning technology, since the technology went live in Mexico city several decades ago. 

The first video is of the NHK news station during the earthquake. The station prepares to issue a tsunami warning, as seen by the map of Japan in the lower righthand corner of the broadcast, while the news anchor instructs the general public to remain calm and take appropriate actions. Although, thankfully, this was a false alarm, it was a great example of the possibilities with earthquake early warning technology. 

This video is of an earthquake early warning on Japan's NNN channel. The earthquake is later revealed to only be magnitude 2.3. The "Area Mail" ringtone and vibration can be heard in the background.

I hope this page with earthquake early warning videos from around the world provided you with a deeper understanding of the possibilities and limitations of earthquake early warning technology.