Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti recently announced the launch of ShakeAlertLA, the nation’s first publicly available earthquake early warning mobile application.

“Angelenos should have every chance to protect themselves and their families when there’s a major earthquake,” Garcetti said. “We created the ShakeAlertLA app because getting a few seconds’ heads-up can make a big difference if you need to pull to the side of the road, get out of an elevator, or drop, cover and hold on.”

ShakeAlertLA is a pilot project, in collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey, AT&T and the Annenberg Foundation, to combine the USGS ShakeAlert earthquake early warning sensor network with mobile app technology. By expanding public use, the city of Los Angeles and its partners will be closely monitoring the ShakeAlertLA app to continue to improve its functionality and identify opportunities for further technological development. The L.A.-based pilot is a crucial step towards delivering ShakeAlerts to the entire West Coast.

The application launched on the Apple and Google Play stores on Dec. 31, following more than a decade of research and development led by the USGS. The app has undergone extensive testing and has shown promising results.

“The city of L.A. is an important ShakeAlert partner, undertaking the nation’s first test of delivering USGS-generated ShakeAlerts to a large population using a city-developed cell phone app,” USGS Director James Reilly said. “What we learn from this expanded pilot in L.A. will be applied to benefit the entire current and future ShakeAlert system.”

Following a competitive RFP process in 2017, AT&T was selected as the best company to develop the ShakeAlertLA app.

“ShakeAlertLA brings together a wealth of information that is easy-to-access and user-friendly for consumers,” AT&T California President Rhonda Johnson said. “Mobile technology is being used more to provide fast, available information. We’re very proud to be working alongside Mayor Garcetti and his team to build a robust solution designed to help improve public safety in Los Angeles.”

ShakeAlertLA was also made possible by a generous $260,000 grant from the Annenberg Foundation in 2017.

“Earthquakes are a fact of life in Los Angeles, a challenge we’ll always have to face. That’s why early earthquake warnings must also be a fact of life on our phones and on our tablets the very moment they’re available,” Annenberg Foundation Chair, President and CEO Wallis Annenberg said. “The ShakeAlertLA app is an extraordinary breakthrough, an early warning system that’s literally at our fingertips. In a natural disaster, one extra second can save a life, and this app can provide that. I’m proud to support it, and I urge every Angeleno to download and use it to help keep us safe and secure when an earthquake strikes.”

ShakeAlertLA was designed to be open source to share technical know-how and increase adoption by other cities, counties and states. “The launch of the ShakeAlertLA App is another major milestone in the effort to build and deploy an earthquake early warning system,” Congressman Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) said. “By downloading this app on their phones, Angelenos will be able to receive a warning before the shaking starts, saving lives when the ‘big one’ hits. I’ve been proud to work with my congressional colleagues to secure over $45 million to date in federal funding to build the system, but the effort could not be successful without great local partners, and I congratulate Mayor Garcetti and the city of Los Angeles for their leadership on this issue.”

For information, visit shakealert.org.