On the second Sunday of this May, a landmark project was completed in China. This is the National Seismic Intensity Rapid Warning and Early Warning Project, which has enabled China to build the world's largest real-time seismic observation network.
Nature has brought this system to a close at the end of 2023. Now, it has begun to fulfill its mission in this vast land of China – to provide precious time for the public and critical facilities to take refuge.
Earthquakes are undoubtedly an extremely dangerous natural disaster. It is menacing, destructive, and unstoppable. But with an earthquake early warning system, we will no longer be completely passive and helpless. It can provide us with seconds to tens of seconds of evacuation and emergency response time after an earthquake and before the arrival of a devastating seismic wave.
This will play a vital role in saving lives and reducing property damage. With earthquake early warning, the public can take measures to avoid earthquakes at the first time; Hospitals, schools and other crowded places can be evacuated in time; The train can be braked urgently; The pipeline can cut off the supply in time... The lethality of the disaster will be greatly reduced.
To build such a large and sophisticated earthquake early warning system, its core construction elements are indispensable: high-density seismic observation station network, highly reliable automatic processing system, effective emergency avoidance and emergency disposal application mechanism, low-latency communication network, and multi-channel emergency information release system. Only by ensuring that none of these critical links are left behind can the system run efficiently and smoothly.
We should also be soberly aware that earthquake early warning is not a panacea. It does not cover all earthquake-affected areas, and there are "blind spots" that cannot give early warning. The time available for early warning will also be significantly reduced in areas that have been severely damaged. Earthquake early warning is only one of the means to mitigate earthquake disasters, and its role is limited.
We still need to further improve the overall level of disaster prevention and mitigation by strengthening earthquake monitoring and research, improving emergency response mechanisms, and popularizing earthquake science knowledge. The public must scientifically understand the risk of earthquake disasters and make effective use of early warning information in order to maximize the disaster reduction benefits of the early warning system.
The relentless tremor of the earth never stops, but the courage and wisdom of the Chinese people to fight against nature are also endless. New challenges will always come, but innovative and forward-looking responses such as the National Seismic Intensity Rapid Warning and Early Warning Project will make our lives and homes safer and more secure.
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