After Major CA Earthquakes, Schiff Urges Congress to Continue to Invest in Early Earthquake Warning System
Washington, D.C. – Today, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) released a statement calling for strong funding to the West Coast earthquake early warning system (EEW), also known as ShakeAlert. The House passed a funding bill in June which provides $19 million for continued development and expansion of the ShakeAlert West Coast earthquake early warning system and $6.7 million in infrastructure funding for capital costs:
“Over the July 4 weekend, California experienced its two strongest earthquakes in 20 years. We were fortunate that there were no serious injuries and damage was limited, but it’s a reminder that it’s not a question of whether a major earthquakes will strike, but when. We have to do everything we can to ensure we are prepared, and one important step we can take is the development and expansion of the ShakeAlert West Coast Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) system,” said Rep. Schiff. “We’ve come a long way towards building out the system and making it operational, with nearly $70 million secured in federal support already, and we have to keep up the momentum because early warning can and will save lives when the next big quake hits.”
Although the President requested $8.2 million for the EEW program in his FY2020 budget, Rep. Schiff and colleagues from California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, and, Hawaii were able to secure $25 million in the House Appropriations bill, which now awaits a vote in the Senate.
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