Taiwan’s first on-site earthquake detection system that can issue warnings seven to 27 seconds before a temblor strikes was unveiled Feb. 22 by the National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering.
The new system, which boasts an 80-percent accuracy rate in preliminary testing, uses generally harmless seismic energy waves generated during the initial stages of an earthquake to estimate the magnitude and arrival time of the event’s destructive forces.
NCREE Deputy Director C.C. Hsu said the system enables more timely warnings to be issued for those 30 to 50 kilometers from the epicenter of a temblor. “We envisage this initiative will be incorporated into existing emergency evacuation procedures,” he added.
Hsu believes the system could have saved some of the 2,400 people who lost their lives during the magnitude-7.7 earthquake that struck Sept. 21, 1999 in central Taiwan’s Nantou County. “In natural disasters such as these, seconds are often the difference between life and death,” he said.
Central government data reveals that Taiwan has been hit by devastating earthquakes every 15 to 20 years since 1736. Over the last century, the average death toll caused by these events exceeds 70 people per year.
According to Hsu, the NCREE is continuing to evaluate the system and expects it will become operational after ascertaining long-term reliability rates. (JSM)
Write to Meg Chang at meg.chang@mail.gio.gov.tw