Israel Introduces a New System to Warn About Earthquakes

In recent news, the experts on earthquakes working at the Geological Survey of the State of Israel revealed some top-of-the-line technology. According to them, the technology is capable enough to inform the relevant authorities of an upcoming earthquake. They said that it can detect the first sign and send a signal to Home Front Command, all within ten seconds, who can then send an alert to warn people. The technology has been named as TRUAA and is based on another system that was previously developed by Berkley University, located in California. The US’s program went live back in the year 2019. 

Similarly, TRUAA, is all set to put the Jewish state on a par with several other countries, such as Japan, Taiwan, and the US. Tso far, the country has devoted a total of NIS 45 million to this earthquake warning system. The Syrian-African Rift Valley houses the State of Israel, which is a seismically active area. Given that the country is quite small, a majority of its residents are at the risk of being exposed to the damage and devastation that earthquakes bring. Since its formation, the state, on average, has suffered at least one severe earthquake in a century. The last natural disaster of this kind swept across Israel in the year 1927. 

In preparation of the upcoming earthquakes, the people of the country have been going through various earthquake drills in different areas. Several tremors have been felt in the Jewish state in the last month alone. The director of the Geological Survey, Prof. Zohar Gvirtzman, held a press briefing to talk about cutting-edge innovative technology. He discussed its various features and also pointed out that as of now, it is not going to be able to predict the timing, strength, as well as location, of an upcoming earthquake. However, he added that TRUAA can pick up the weaker and initial tremors brought about by an earthquake before stronger ones follow. 

In his words, the technology is advanced enough to send out this information to relevant authorities at a quick pace. The director believes that this warning system will ensure that as many Israelis as possible, in close proximity, are able to protect themselves. TRUAA has been under trial conditions ever since it was first developed in the year 2014. Since the 27th of January, however, it has been connected to the Home Front Command, which is an organization in the country that is responsible for alerting the citizens of incoming attacks. 

On the other hand, Gvirtzman further warned that the only way this technology could function effectively as if the government showed commitment to it. He said that a total of NIS 4 million will be required every year, for the foreseeable future, to maintain and further develop the system. He further added that funds will be allocated towards updating the technology every now and then. According to him, this sum is the size of peanuts as compared to the billions of shekels that the government invests in preparing for upcoming earthquakes.