Shaky California turns on its long-awaited quake alert app

Quakes can't be predicted. But unassuming Californians can now be alerted that a significant temblor has hit and it's time to promptly "Drop, Cover, and Hold on" before their world starts shaking.

On Thursday, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced the state's Earthquake Early Warning System, which means Golden State denizens from the northern Redwoods to the Salton Sea can be alerted of imminent shaking in two major ways.

The first part of the system is the new, free MyShake app (available on iOS and Android phones) which will notify the app's users about nearby quakes. The second element is Wireless Emergency Alerts which automatically blasts out text messages (the same way you receive an emergency Amber alert) after a quake has been detected. Both systems receive quake information from the U.S. Geological Survey's innovative, sensor-based, ShakeAlert system. Read more...