Earthquake Early Warning app, which notified more than 500,000 people following two recent earthquakes, is now available on laptops and tablets
SACRAMENTO – Following two major earthquakes that shook California during the last two weeks, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) and UC Berkeley Seismology Lab announce that the first-in-the-nation statewide earthquake early warning phone app, known as “MyShake,” is now available for download at no cost for Chromebooks and MacOS.
“The technology that fuels the California Earthquake Early Warning System continues to make advances, giving communities critical seconds to drop, cover and hold on when shaking starts,” California Governor Gavin Newsom said. “I encourage Californians to download the MyShake app on their phones, laptops or tablets to receive these important alerts, and make sure emergency notifications on mobile devices are turned on.”
More than a half million people in Northern California recently received MyShake earthquake alerts on mobile devices, laptops and tablets in advance of two major quakes that shook the state Dec. 5 and 9 — in some cases as much as 15 seconds before shaking began.
In the Humboldt earthquake, the MyShake app provided up to 15 seconds of advance notice to nearly 470,000 users. In the Nevada earthquake, which jolted many parts of northern California, more than 150,000 MyShake alerts were sent providing more than ten seconds of warning on cell phones before shaking began.
“Californians should be prepared when earthquakes strike,” said Nancy Ward, Director of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. “The MyShake app provides people crucial time to protect themselves before shaking begins.”
With more than 3.7 million downloads since its launch, MyShake has proven to be a critical safety tool, providing Californians with essential seconds to safeguard themselves during earthquakes.
“UC Berkeley is proud to continue our partnership with Cal OES in extending this technology to an ever-growing number of Californians,” said Richard Allen, Director of the Berkeley Seismology Lab. “The strong partnership between academic and public safety organizations demonstrates how California sets the standard ensuring the safety of millions.”
Recent enhancements to the MyShake app include:
- Visual and Audio – Audio messages for test and live alerts in six different languages have been updated to include a calm, yet urgent voice. In coordination with Cal OES, the alerts are available in six languages: English, Spanish, Chinese Traditional, Tagalog, Korean, and Vietnamese.
- Magnitude Information – While earthquake early warning alerts will remain only for magnitude 4.5 or higher, in response to user feedback the application can now display information for seismic activity as low as magnitude 2.5.
- Location Improvements – The search functionality now offers the ability to pinpoint the location of seismic activity and identify neighborhoods, places, addresses, and zip codes.
- Orientation – The new update will allow landscape orientation on compatible devices, thereby making it more user-friendly on tablet devices.
- User-Informed Background Improvements – It is now easier for users to identify app functionality issues, enabling the team at UC Berkeley Seismology Lab to troubleshoot and address any problems.
Launched in 2019, MyShake was the first smartphone application to provide statewide earthquake early warning alerts for earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.5 or greater. The app combines science and technology to deliver early warning alerts to “drop, cover, and hold on” before shaking starts.
The MyShake application leverages the California Earthquake Early Warning System powered by ShakeAlert to notify the public through earthquake early warning alerts before shaking arrives. ShakeAlert is a computerized program operated by the U.S. Geological Survey that analyzes data from seismic networks in California, calculates preliminary magnitudes, and then estimates which areas will feel shaking.
The California Earthquake Early Warning System is the California segment of the USGS ShakeAlert System, which aims to reduce the impact of earthquakes to save lives and property.
The MyShake app can be downloaded for free through the Google Play Store or the App Store.
For more information, visit earthquake.ca.gov.
Cal OES serves as the state’s lead emergency management agency, including responding, directing, and coordinating state and federal resources and mutual aid assets across all regions to support communities across the state.