Cellphone earthquake alerts debut in Washington — with a catch By Sandi Doughton, The Seattle Times Published: May 3, 2021, 7:57am Share: One of the most terrifying things about earthquakes is the way they strike without warning. That’s going to change just a tiny bit in Washington beginning Tuesday. For the first time, residents will be able to get alerts on their cellphones seconds before the ground under their feet starts shaking — enough time, hopefully, to get to a safe spot and avoid injury. Californians have been tied in to the earthquake early warning network called ShakeAlert since late 2019 and have already received advance notifications of several small-to-moderate quakes. The system went live in Oregon two months ago. Washington’s addition completes the rollout of a technology inspired by networks in Japan and Mexico and developed over the past 15 years by scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Washington, Caltech and other institutions.