[tjohns]

Totally agree. I'd really love to see Japan's ETWS system rolled out on the US west coast.

I was in Japan earlier this year, and happened to be watching TV when the earthquake warning system cut in. It gave about 5-10 seconds of advance warning before an earthquake hit. Enough time to move out of the way of anything heavy. It's quite impressive.

If anyone's curious, this is what it looks like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAxxZkpV0HI

(The earthquake early warning cuts in at 0:15, and a tsunami warning automatically cuts in at 2:34... though most of the tsunami warning is cut off at the end. This is what the full earthquake+tsunami warning sequence looks like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMNu8Y1jIlU)

[Theodores]

Thanks for posting - I will be re-using those video clips at an appropriate time to warn of workplace upheavals etc.

[mercurysmessage]

Yes I experienced it a number of times while I've been in Japan as well, it is impressive and certainly helpful. It would be a great system to have in any area that experiences a lot of earthquakes, or other, short notice emergencies.