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For as long as people have been living in California, earthquakes have been a reality. This is earthquake country, and the fear is that "The Big One" is about to happen.
Earthquakes do not happen without warning to other areas, it's just very difficult to pin down, and even then, you only get a few seconds of warning. It hardly seems like it's worth the effort initially to try and get an early warning system in place for California, but that slow and steady effort has paid off.
They have been running tests for years, but as of Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018, officials at the USGS feel like the system is reliable enough to be considered "operational" and some government agencies and businesses are encouraged to reach out to the USGS to order software to get these warnings.
The grand hope and dream is to warn all people in the state that an earthquake is coming, but the preferred method of a text alert to people's phones is not feasible at the moment. Officials say that cell phone technology is not fast enough for the service or set-up for this type of notification.
READ MORE: What's the earthquake risk in Sacramento?
Limitations aside, this new system will have false alarms and tweaking, but vital seconds of warning could immediately save lives, and prevent injury for schools, offices, hospitals, and large gatherings in public and the time to get these warnings is officially now.
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