Earth Alerts is a free disaster tracking software program designed to track tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes, tropical cyclones and wildfires. This feature is particularly helpful for residents living in areas that are at greater risk from natural disasters.
Although this program supports worldwide events, its primary focus lies within the United States. After completing a straightforward setup procedure, users can easily track any natural event that occurs within their area of interest.
Earthquakes
Earthquakes are violent, unpredictable events that vibrate the outer layers of our planet’s crust, often shaking us thousands of times every day without us even realizing. Though often inaudible to us humans, powerful earthquakes can produce tsunamis, landslides and fires which destroy buildings as well as kill people and animals alike.
Earthquake Warning California utilizes cutting-edge technology to alert people – before strong shaking reaches them – of impending earthquakes, giving them time to take life-saving actions such as “DROP, COVER and HOLD ON.”
This system detects earthquakes by monitoring ground movement, then using algorithms to forecast how much shaking will likely happen where people are situated. Alerts will be sent out prior to strong shaking arriving on people’s phones, giving them up to 10 seconds or so to prepare themselves before experiencing its full force.
Earthquake detection works by measuring ground motions caused by an earthquake and sending that data to a network of computers, where algorithms calculate how much shaking may occur and return that information back to people’s phones via sensors. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) administers ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning System with many partners such as Earthquake Warning California’s technical partner who are licensed by USGS to utilize ShakeAlert messages issued from USGS for notifications or automated actions on their customers or for automated actions to be taken automatically by their technical partners.
Tsunamis
Tsunamis are ocean waves created by sudden displacement of large volumes of water, usually by an earthquake below the sea surface. While normal ocean waves are generated by wind or tides, tsunamis may arise from either below (underwater earthquakes with large vertical displacements, submarine landslides or volcanic eruptions) or above (ice calving or meteorite impacts).
As a tsunami approaches land, its crest can rise to heights of 100 feet or more. Once on shore, however, its trough (the lowest point on the surface of water) may suck coastal waters back out to sea in a “drawback” effect causing floodwaters to rush back in, creating run-up that can destroy buildings and structures as well as flood communities with seawater that pollutes drinking water supplies and overheat food sources contaminating communities further with sea water flooding in. Furthermore, tsunamis may cause landslides or other disasters on land as well.
If you experience a powerful earthquake, feel an unexpected long or sudden rise or fall of sea level, see an abrupt shift in coastline shape, hear loud roar of sea noise or receive an official tsunami warning, take immediate action by moving to higher ground or following evacuation signs.
Volcanoes
Volcanoes form wherever Earth’s tectonic plates collide or diverge, with magma from beneath the surface moving toward them along their boundaries under buoyancy and pressure from gases inside it, towards volcanoes on each plate boundary. Magma may also break through weak points in Earth’s crust to form fissures which produce lava flows, hot ash deposits, or gas.
Lava flows can wreak havoc and kill many during an eruption, as can pyroclastic flows; deadly avalanches of hot rocks, ash, and toxic gas that race down slopes – similar to what buried Pompeii and Herculaneum after Mount Vesuvius erupted in A.D.79 – while volcanic mudflows known as lahars can travel for miles downhill at speeds reaching 450 mph.
Listen carefully for instructions from local authorities during an eruption and follow any directives. If told to evacuate immediately, do it immediately and ensure your family has an emergency kit including first aid supplies, food and water, blankets, flashlights/batteries/flashlights/batteries as well as protective clothing such as goggles/dust mask/shoes etc. Ash can easily clog engines and stall cars; keep a full fuel tank so your car can be started immediately; avoid river valleys and low-lying areas as these could flood easily
Tropical Cyclones
Earth Alerts is a utility designed to enable you to track natural hazards like earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes and tropical storms. Relying on reliable sources, Earth Alerts triggers visual and audio alerts whenever any event occurs – unlike traditional weather apps that cover showers and sunny periods but fail to notify of natural disasters worldwide.
Tropical Cyclones bring with them high winds, heavy rainfall and tornadoes – depending on its intensity they may also bring storm surges that cause flooding or destruction.
Tropical cyclones typically reach their maximum intensity over warm waters before gradually weakening as they move inland, often leaving in their wake tornadoes, flooding, landslides and widespread destruction – sometimes even loss of life – in their wake.
Storms can bring much-needed rain in dry regions, replenishing lakes and clearing away harmful algae blooms – nature’s way of rebalancing order on our planet. Unfortunately, however, storms often bring long-lasting destruction; for example fallen trees slow repair work on power lines and telephone towers while flooding rivers flood roads and houses and can even impede rescue efforts.
Wildfires
Earth Alerts is a unique utility designed to allow users to monitor in near real-time natural hazards such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, tropical cyclones, wildfires, landslides and severe weather events. To do this, live data is pulled in from various online sources and organized into reports, maps and images for convenient analysis.
After setting the location you wish to monitor (Earth Alerts is defaulted towards monitoring in the United States; however, any location can be added), simply click “Update Now” for Earth Alerts to download and display all pertinent data. After everything is in place, you can see global weather events or select individual categories such as cyclones or wildfires for more in-depth reports.
Earth Alerts provides basic weather monitoring, informing you if it will rain later, but few utilities go so far as to track more severe natural disasters like wildfires and drought. Earth Alerts offers this ability despite its clumsy interface and outdated graphics; nonetheless it makes an interesting alternative to more commonly available tools on the market.
Landslides
Landslides can block rivers and increase the risk of flooding. They may also bury or destroy homes and other buildings, wipe out roads and railways and cause serious disruption to people’s lives. Landslides can be deadly for those caught in their path of debris flow or mud flow and even more devastating for those trapped under rock or earth.
Slow ground shifts may be the precursor of an impending landslide, often too gradual for humans to detect but easily identifiable via satellite images using radar interferometry – using data from instruments on ESA’s ERS-2 satellite to mathematically combine multiple radar images from that location into one comprehensive map depicting changes to its landscape.
Maintain an awareness of landslide warnings in your area by monitoring local radio and TV for information and instructions. Keep an eye out for signs like tilted trees and fences, bare spots on slopes and changes in the water levels of streams and rivers, tilted trees or fences tilting in, changes to river flows or changes to stream levels as an indication that an event might be coming soon. Also create household emergency and evacuation plans as well as family communication plans should your family become separated.
Severe Weather
Earth Alerts allows users to monitor in near real-time a range of natural hazards that could threaten them, using live data from authoritative sources specializing in earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, cyclones, wildfires and landslides – producing reports and images. Google Earth integration offers visualisation of global events.
As well as providing information on major natural hazards, this program also features tools that enable users to prepare for any eventuality. For instance, users can be warned of impending floods by downloading and displaying National Weather Service Flood Inundation Maps (FIM), thunderstorm conditions like damaging winds or large hailstones; winter storms resulting in heavy rainfall, ice formation or strong winds are also notified about.
Outside of these, weather alerts can also warn users about potential danger caused by cold fronts or extreme heatwaves. A wind chill advisory warns when temperatures could drop to levels which could compromise human health, while blizzard warnings indicate strong winds that make safe travel difficult or impossible. Alerts are also issued when air quality levels reach unhealthy thresholds.
