CREWS: Early Warning System Could Have Given Warning

KESQ-TV is proud to be one of the organizations rallying support for an early warning system for earthquakes in the Coachella Valley.

When the system is installed, each school in the Coachella Valley would be outfitted with a device which information about a major quake about to hit. The system uses new technology, measuring waves in the Earth’s surface that could give residents a 20-30 second warning of a quake about to hit.

After Sunday’s quake, CREWS representatives told News Channel 3 that a fully functional system would provide the following:

* At 3:40pm local time today, a strong earthquake of magnitude 7.2 occurred in Baja California, approximately 40 miles south of the US/Mexico border. The earthquake was widely felt throughout the Coachella Valley at a Modified Mercalli Intensity of approximately IV.

* Had this event been of a threatening level to the Coachella Valley, CREWS would have provided up to 35 seconds of warning.

To find out more about the CREWS system, access their part of our website here.