Yesterday, Congress approved the bill that could give the West Coast an earthquake warning system. According to the Los Angeles Daily News, this system would give a warning of a few seconds before an earthquake would hit. 

The initial budget for this project was $5 million, which was proposed by President Barack Obama a few months ago. However, the funding that was passed yesterday was $8.5 million. This is only the first step for the system to be built because it still needs the President’s approval. The completed project will cost an estimated $38.2 million.

The reason for building this warning system is to prevent the major damage that earthquakes cause. Many speculate that a big earthquake, known as “the Big One,” will occur sometime in the near future. Some people say that it may be much like the one that happened in Northridge in 1994. A representative for the warning system, Adam Schiff, claims that the system would “give us critical time for trains to be slowed and surgeries to be stopped.” Also, it could help evacuate buildings and schools all throughout the West Coast before a natural disaster takes place. I asked Junior Camille Tambunting believes the plan “is great and it’ll definitely be helpful, especially since we live near fault zones. Safety must be our number one priority.” 

The system is still in its testing stage, but its future looks promising. Currently, the U.S. Geology Survey is working with top universities such as UC Berkeley, Caltech, the University of Oregon, and the University of Washington to make the system the best that it can be.