Although earthquake notification apps have become a big hit among smartphone users after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck southern Taiwan on Feb. 6, killing 116 people and injuring hundreds more, such apps might be of limited benefit because alerts take at least 12 seconds to reach users.
Four apps — only available in Chinese — have been developed and released for free download by private developers in cooperation with the Central Weather Bureau (CWB). Users can receive real-time notifications of the location and magnitude of an earthquake and the earthquake’s intensity in different areas.
As earthquakes cannot be predicted, the bureau can only analyze a seismic wave immediately after an earthquake strikes before transmitting the data, Seismological Center division chief Chiang Chia-hao (江家豪) said on Monday.
It takes the center 12 seconds to process a seismic wave and another 0.15 seconds to transmit the data to app users, Chiang said.
Given that a seismic wave runs 5km per second, only app users living more than 60km from the epicenter of an earthquake would have adequate time to prepare for a tremor, depending on network connectivity and whether the app is running.
Taking the Feb. 6 earthquake as an example, Chiang said that as the quake’s epicenter was in Kaohsiung’s Meinong District (美濃), people in Chiayi County had five seconds to react, while Taipei residents had 20 seconds.
Although the intensity of an earthquake weakens further from the epicenter, having advanced knowledge of a tremor would help people to prepare for it, Chiang said.
“Some people would have time to move away from bookshelves or avoid falling objects,” he said.
The Earthquake Disaster Prevention and Relief and EEW Earthquake Report apps are available on both Android and Apple devices, while the Taiwan Earthquake Early Warning System and KNY Taiwan Weather Earthquake Report apps are only available on Android devices.
For people who are unable to read Chinese, the bureau recommends its Taiwan Weather App for Android devices and its real-time earthquake reports on the bureau’s official Web site.
Taiwan’s three largest telecommunication service providers — Chunghwa Telcom, Taiwan Mobile and Far EasTone Telecommunications — are to continue releasing simulated disaster alerts in designated areas to their subscribers later this month.
The measures, if implemented on April 1 as scheduled, are to be part of the government’s disaster warning system aimed at providing the public with disaster updates as quickly as possible, the National Communications Commission said.
Any 3G or 4G mobile devices capable of receiving broadcast messages are to release warning sounds or vibrate whenever a disaster alert is received. A series of simulated disaster alerts began in Pingtung County last month, the commission said.
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