Looks like we can sign up for a free service from the USGS that will alert us to any quake of magnitude 5.5 or greater. Seems pretty handy, but maybe not quite as timely as I would like (a few hours to a few days they say, depending on the quake.)
I’d like a near-real-time service that would contact me for any quake relevant to Japan. That is worth paying for. Mainly, I want to know how far away the quake epicenter is from Tokyo, how deep it is, and how strong it is. Those three factors determine whether I panic or go back to my routine.
USGS Earthquake Hazards Program: Earthquake Notification Services
UPDATE: USGS Map for Asia
Hi Gen, Sorry to read the news today of another earthquake in Japan and of the 250 reported deaths, so far, this morning.
You blogged about another earthquake in Japan on September 20, just six days ago.
Signing up for a free service from the USGS that will alert you to any quake of magnitude 5.5 or greater, maybe is better than having no notification service at all.
If there’s a gap in the market, you could start-up a near-real-time service that would contact people re any quake relevant to where they live!
If my memory is correct, one of the best places to stand, in the event of an earth tremor or quake, is in a door jamb, holding onto the frame by pushing the flat of your palms against each side of inside door frame, with feet planted close to each side of frame. Sincerely hope you never need to use this tip! Take good care everyone.
Hi Ingrid,
The good news is your info seems to be a bit off. The number you quote was not those dead, but those injured (actually over 300 now). The dead, fortunately still count as only 1 (although noot for the one)
A bit off? Totally off! I’ve just come back here to tell you that I have just seen this evening’s TV report saying zero deaths but three hundred injured. Sorry about that. I only get my news from the BBC! Can’t imagine what was going on first thing this morning. Nevermind, at least it has turned out to be good news and everyone is safe
Timely Japanese earthquake info can be found here:
http://www.tenki.jp/qua/quake_0.html
I guess they’ll be fairly overloaded when a big one hits, though. The government should really budget some money for the Akamai-zation of its earthquake servers