Early quake warning system expands to Oregon, Washington

SEATTLE (AP) – An early warning system for earthquakes is expanding to Oregon and Washington.

The expansion means three states on the U.S. West Coast will now be testing a prototype that could give people seconds or up to a minute of warning before strong shaking begins. California has been testing the production prototype since early 2016.

The U.S. Geological Survey says the system isn’t ready to issue public quake warnings yet.

But this version allows early adopters to use those warnings and figure out what steps they need to take in the event of an earthquake.

The USGS and other partners are rolling out the expanded ShakeAlert system Monday at events in Seattle and Eugene, Oregon.

The warning system detects earthquakes using a network of ground motion sensors.