Earthquake Early Warning System Receives $4.9 Million Federal Grant

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — An earthquake early warning system just took a step closer to reality in California and other Western states.

The U.S. Geological Survey on Monday awarded $4.9 million to advance ShakeAlert. The federal funds will go to six universities and a university-governed non-profit to support the transition into a production system.

"The additional $4.9 million awarded to the Earthquake Early Warning System brings us one step closer to fully deploying this technology which can saves lives in the event of a major earthquake," Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) said in a statement. "I will continue to work on a bipartisan basis to provide funding for this vital public safety system to ensure that it reaches its full potential. We know that it is a matter of 'when' not 'if' a major earthquake will strike the West Coast, and a fully operational Early Warning System will help us be ready."

Schiff has worked to secure congressional funding for ShakeAlert.

The California institutions receiving funding are California Institute of Technology and University of California, Berkeley.

The early warning system would give people a few seconds to prepare for the impact of an earthquake before the shaking starts.