On 10/05/2018 04:47 PM, Sean Donelan wrote:
On Thu, 4 Oct 2018, b...@theworld.com wrote:
Just to try to squeeze something worthwhile out of these reports...
I wonder, if there were a real alert, what the odds are that one
wouldn't hear about it in 1 minute, 5 minutes, etc even if they didn't
personally get it.
What happens when people don't get warnings?
Gatlinburg, TN - 2016 Wildfires - 14 fatalities
Northern California - 2017 Wildfires - 44 fatalities
Yes, neighbors alerted neighbors, local emergency officials drove
through the streets and knocked on doors, radio and television
stations broke into programming. It took hours, and eventually about
200,000 people were warned. But the wildfires moved faster than those
other alerting methods.
Sometimes people are asleep (disasters don't always happen at 2pm on a
work day), live alone, are not constantly watching TV or checking
social media.
Its unlikely any system will ever be able to reach everyone. WEA
reaches more people (about 70% of the national population), much
faster (about 10-15 seconds), day and night (most people keep their
mobile phones near them even while sleeping) than the existing warning
systems. But they should still be used in combination, not exclusive.
Warning systems depend on communication service providers keeping
their systems operating, i.e. cell towers with backup power, ISPs with
diversity in their networks, etc.
If we ever get our earthquake early warning system, people definitely
have incentive to pay attention since a minute before the incoming S
waves ain't a lot of time, but could be a lifesaver.
Mike
