Great news!
In the U.S. an early warning system for earthquakes, tsunamis and floods is being trialled and it has already been effective!
Yes, the system has been used successfully to alert emergency services of flash floods in Southern California.
Much time and effort has been put into (and is still being put into) developing a way that people can get a warning of a natural disaster before it occurs. This as you can imagine is incredibly difficult as predicting events such as earthquakes requires knowledge on a case by case basis.
This system uses GPS technology as well as other sensors which can detect ground movements on a very precise and accurate scale, such as this station photographed below:
Even though the system can only detet tremors moments before the actual quake, the technology can accurately assess the likelihood that the earthquake has of creating a tsunami.
In the case of flash floods, sensors can track in real time the amount of moisture in the air and whether heavy rain is likely or unlikely to occur. From this, the amount of precipitation and water course information, the size and location of flash flooding can be pinpointed.
The warnings and information from this technology can be distributed using an effective communications method such as smart phones, making the system inexpensive and easily marketed around the world.
So there is hope yet! Technologies are developing and its great to believe that one day, devastating natural disasters will be able to occur with minimal loss of life in the future.
For more information heres the original news article:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25467873
Happy reading!
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