Use earthquake warning apps on your phone

Specialized software is the most direct and effective way to receive early earthquake warnings, monitor the situation and update information on mobile phones. Currently, there are many free, highly accurate programs available for users on both iOS and Android operating systems to install on smartphones.

Some programs that can be referred to are MyShake - an application developed by the Berkeley Seismological Laboratory (University of California, USA), available on both Android and iOS mobile phones. This application uses the phone's accelerometer sensor to detect vibrations and provides early warning when an earthquake occurs near the user's area.

Outstanding features include warning of earthquakes of 4 Richter scale or higher, displaying maps of the nearest earthquakes (filtered by time and intensity), recording vibration data from the device to contribute to the general research system... In addition, the software also has visual safety instructions when natural disasters occur. To fully function, users need to grant location access so that the program can receive warnings and forecasts for each area. This application has an easy-to-use interface, but when operating, it requires an internet connection to receive real-time information.

There are also Earthquake Network (which focuses on early warnings from the user community), and LastQuake (provided by the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre - EMSC), Earthquake Alerts Tracker (Android), Earthquake Zone... These apps often provide real-time earthquake maps, push notifications about earthquakes near you, detailed information about magnitude, epicenter depth, and allow users to report felt shaking.

In addition, Android phones also have an integrated earthquake warning system, capable of sending automatic warnings about earthquakes of 4.5 Richter scale or higher near the user's location and often warning early before strong tremors occur. This is a built-in feature, no external installation required, users need to access the phone via the path Settings > Location > Earthquake Alerts to enable, but the limitation is that there are still some areas and countries that are not supported.

Follow through the earthquake website

If you do not want to install additional applications, users can still follow earthquake forecasts and information through websites. In Vietnam, the official address is the website of the Vietnam Institute of Geophysics ( https://igp-vast.vn ). Not only does this site warn of earthquakes, it also provides official information related to tsunamis.

During the recent earthquake in Myanmar on the afternoon of March 28, this website also updated full information for users to follow. However, this page does not have push notifications, forcing users to look up manually.

In addition, the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program (website of the US Geological Survey) is also a reliable address to find information about earthquakes on a global scale. This site provides real-time earthquake maps, with filters by time, area... Users can choose the Vietnam area to follow the information.

Notes when using earthquake tracking tools on the internet

With so many scams and impersonations on the internet today, users can be tricked into installing fake software, hidden ads or malware on their devices. Therefore, when you need to install an application, access the official source, which is the software store dedicated to the operating system such as Google Play Store (Android) and Apple App Store (iOS).