New Earthquake Early-Warning System for Mexico City Lizzie Wade - Wired
go to original June 24, 2015

A new warning system designed by architect Andres Meira uses cheap radio equipment to pick up warning signals, making it more affordable for Mexicans than existing products. Al Jazeera's Adam Raney reports from Mexico City. (Al Jazeera English)

The morning of Good Friday 2014 found Andy Meira standing outside his apartment in Mexico City with his wife and baby, waiting for the shaking to begin. He was one of the few people in a city of 25 million who knew an earthquake was coming, thanks to an early warning alarm, called the Grillo (Spanish for “cricket”) he’d spent the last two years building. This was the first time the prototype had gone off. If everything went well, Meira knew he should have between 60 and 90 seconds before the quake hit the city.

As soon as the Grillo chirped, Meira hurried his family to the park across the street from their building. “It was so exciting, because it was the first time it had gone off,” Meira says. “Up until then it had all been maths and coding.” When the ground actually started swirling underneath his feet in what would be a 7.2 quake, Meira and his wife were actually smiling, standing amid scared neighbors who had rushed out of their buildings after the shaking had already started.

...With funding from the Mexico City branch of the accelerator 500 Startups and a crowdfunding campaign, as well as a handful of pre-orders, Meira is now manufacturing the first batch of 175 Grillos.

Read the rest at Wired

Related: At $50, Earthquake Early Warning Device Could Ease Lives of Billions (PSFK)

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