Abstract
The earthquake early warning system of Mexico, SASMEX, has 30 years of uninterrupted and successful operation. During this time, the system recorded ∼9,800 earthquakes and broadcast 111 alerts. Alerting was simplified recently, avoiding the emission of two types of alerts. Only earthquakes above a magnitude threshold, dependent on distance to the target city are alerted. SASMEX disseminates early warnings using dedicated receivers, public loudspeakers, multi-hazard radios, and participating TV and radio stations. It is estimated that ∼25 million people receive alert messages from SASMEX. Cell-broadcasting messaging, necessary for the timely delivery of alerts, is not implemented by the local cellular phone operators. The addition of cell phone communication would increase the number of users benefitting from the system. SASMEX does not publish ground motion predictions at the time of issuing the alert.Instead, it distributes a map of peak ground acceleration in Mexico City ∼1 minute after the arrival of strong motion, via electronic messaging. The accepted practice for the population in general is to evacuate at the sound of the alert. This is useful in schools and low-rise buildings, where people are generally drilled to evacuate rapidly. It is not effective in high-rise buildings and where large numbers of people concentrate. Finding protection and not trying to evacuate may be a better option, as it is recommended by other seismic early warning systems. The damaging 19 September 2017 earthquake underlined the difficulties of alerting earthquakes at close distances. Using a different sound of the alert or a countdown may be advisable, so people understand they have less time than normally assumed. There are few social studies on the use of the alert. It is suggested to conduct these studies to explore better ways to use and communicate the seismic alert, including automatic processes to shut down hazardous facilities.
Highlights
The Seismic Early Warning in Mexico (SASMEX) is a pioneer in the effort of warning the population of impending large earthquakes
It was estimated that the time elapsed between the detection of a large earthquake in the subduction zone and the arrival of the strong-motion seismic waves in Mexico City, would allow at least 60 s for the population to take protective actions
The original mission of Seismic Early Warning System of Mexico (SASMEX) to monitor subduction zone earthquakes conveyed the idea that warning times available in Mexico City were at least 50 s
Summary
The Seismic Early Warning in Mexico (SASMEX) is a pioneer in the effort of warning the population of impending large earthquakes. It was estimated that the time elapsed between the detection of a large earthquake in the subduction zone and the arrival of the strong-motion seismic waves in Mexico City, would allow at least 60 s for the population to take protective actions. The Mexico City government instructed CIRES, the parent organization responsible for SASMEX, to issue two types of alerts: preventive and public.
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