(Palo Alto, Calif) – It was announced today that Congress included $5 million in the FY 2015 funding bill, also known as the CROmnibus, to help transition into operation ShakeAlert, the West Coast Earthquake Early Warning System. The demonstration project proved successful in providing warnings of the Napa earthquake in August. Early warnings of an impending earthquake provide the critical seconds necessary to protect people and infrastructure.
The new funding provided by Congress is a critical first step toward securing the needed funding for full deployment. It is projected that $38.3 million is required to implement the system in California, Oregon and Washington. An additional $16.1 million will be needed each year to operate and maintain the system.
Since 2011, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation has invested $6.5 million through grants to Caltech, UC Berkeley, University of Washington and the United States Geological Survey to develop and test the system. Our funding built on prior investments by the USGS and the California Office of Emergency Services.
We are proud to be part of this effort and look forward to seeing ShakeAlert fully implemented across the West Coast.
Statement from Vicki Chandler, PhD, Chief Program Officer for Science
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