SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - New technology could help save lives by providing a 10 second heads up. Experts at Berkeley say we could soon receive earthquake warnings on our cell phones, providing crucial time.
The ShakeAlert project at Berkeley's seismological lab provided an early warning ahead of the devastation in Northern California and Napa Sunday.
The system said light shaking could be expected and predicted a 5.7 magnitude quake, which was pretty close to the actual 6.0 quake that hit.
A small group of about 100 test users around the Bay Area received the alert.
The director of the seismo lab says this technology could help in so many different areas.
It could help people run to safety while providing enough time for surgeons at hospitals to stop operations and place equipment on safe mode.
However, the early warning system isn't available to everyone just yet.
Last year, state lawmakers passed a mandate saying the system should be complete and used to warn the public of earthquakes. But there has been a lack of funding.