West Coast Democrats want to be ready if The Big One hits
Thirty-two House Democrats want backing from President Barack Obama to spend another $16 million on a system that would give early warnings to the public when an earthquake hits.
In a letter to the White House Office of Management and Budget, the lawmakers said that such a system would help the West Coast “be prepared for a catastrophic earthquake.”
“We know it is ‘when’ and not ‘if’ – they have the potential to be the costliest disasters the United States has ever faced,” the letter said.
We know it is ‘when’ and not ‘if’ – they have the potential to be the costliest disasters the United States has ever faced.
32 House Democrats
in a letter to the White HouseThree Democrats led the effort: Derek Kilmer of Washington state, Adam Schiff of California and Peter DeFazio of Oregon.
The system, called ShakeAlert, involves researchers and scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey, Caltech, UC-Berkeley, the University of Washington and the University of Oregon.
Rob Hotakainen: 202-383-6154, @HotakainenRob
This story was originally published November 30, 2016 at 9:00 AM with the headline "West Coast Democrats want to be ready if The Big One hits."