Mexico City Updates 911 Emergency App to Push Quake Alerts to Phones Peter Orsi - Associated Press
go to original November 3, 2017

Users of the free 911 CDMX app can now get sound and vibration alerts for any quake strong enough to threaten damage in the city (#SéUnoNoticias)

Mexico City has updated its 911 emergency app to send earthquake alerts to residents' smartphones following last month's magnitude 7.1 shake that killed 369 people, including 228 in the capital, authorities announced Thursday.

Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera said users of the free 911 CDMX app can now get sound and vibration alerts for any quake strong enough to threaten damage in the city.

It was developed by the governmental center known as C5, for Command, Control Computing, Communications and Contact, and is available for both iOS and Android.

... The capital already has a system of loudspeakers that blare alarms when a significant temblor is detected.

C5 general coordinator Idris Rodriguez Zapata urged residents to download the app. He also said they should heed quake protocols "without hesitation at the moment (the alarm) is heard through the system of speakers or on cellphones."

Last month, Mancera said there had been reports of people setting their cellphone ringtones to the sound of the seismic alarm and urged them to remove it so as not to provoke panic.

Other 911 app functions let users view tweets about seismic activity, contact a 911 operator or register their blood type and medical history.

Read the rest at VOA News

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