Google Android earthquake early warning alerts in Venezuela; 10-30% casualty reduction
“An earthquake early warning app can help reduce casualties by 10 to 30 per cent.”
Communication Published on 7 August 2026
“An earthquake early warning app can help reduce casualties by 10 to 30 per cent.”
A few seconds before the tremors struck Venezuela, people with Android mobile phones received an alert. Early warnings like these can save lives. In this interview, ETH scientist John Clinton explains how early warning systems for earthquakes work, why the systems the SDC supports in Central America are among the most advanced in the region, and how the same technology will soon be deployed in Switzerland too.
Google sent people in Venezuela a warning message via their smartphones seconds before the earthquakes struck on 24 June 2026. Did this help prevent an even higher death toll?
Dr John Clinton: Google did indeed send warnings about the two earthquakes to many Android smartphones, in some cases a few seconds before the devastating tremors began. Even a small window of time such as this can make a significant difference to those affected, allowing them to take cover or leave the building. Measures like these can significantly reduce the number of casualties.
How many people in Venezuela were able to get to safety thanks to the warnings?
There hasn’t yet been a thorough investigation into how effective or efficient the warnings in Venezuela were, but a number of videos on social media show people receiving alerts before any perceptible tremors began. The key strength of these Android alerts is that they can reach a large number of users with very little delay.
But it’s only people with an Android device who benefit. There is no national system for all citizens.
Venezuela doesn’t yet have a national early warning system for earthquakes like the one we set up with our Central American partners.
Which means that other countries in this highly earthquake-prone region are ahead in this regard.
Yes, national early warning systems are already in operation in Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. The SDC provided ETH Zurich and the seismology institutes in these countries with support in setting up these systems. Its commitment was groundbreaking in many respects: without this start-up funding, none of these countries would have a national early warning system today. In fact, none of these countries was in the process of developing an early warning system when the SDC project began, as they didn’t have the financial resources or scientific and technical expertise required to independently develop and operate such systems.
And how well-protected is Central America today?
Since the SDC project concluded in 2024, the national seismology institutes in the countries I mentioned have been operating their own early warning systems. As part of this, the institutes have slightly adapted the mobile app developed in the project to meet their respective countries’ needs. These apps are available in the Google Play Store and the iOS App Store. The app developed in the project has now successfully sent out alerts for numerous moderate to strong earthquakes, reaching tens of thousands of people within 8 to 25 seconds of the earthquake beginning. This meant that people who were slightly further from the epicentre were afforded a few seconds before the tremors reached them. For example, during a 5.8-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Guatemala in 2025, more than 35,000 people received a warning a few seconds before they felt the tremor. During that series of earthquakes, the number of active users in Guatemala temporarily rose to over a million.
How has international cooperation progressed since then?
The national earthquake services operate and promote the early warning app in their respective countries, while the team at ETH Zurich continues to work closely with partner institutions to further optimise and develop the app. ETH Zurich is also working with the Swiss Seismological Service and the Red Cross to support the ongoing development of the earthquake early warning system in Guatemala and partially in El Salvador as part of a project funded by ‘ETH for Development’ (ETH4D). Further projects supported by the European Union are also allowing us to roll out the system across Europe. The experience gained and technological progress made in these projects are in turn incorporated into the systems in Central America.
Will they be used in Switzerland too?
Yes, experience and technological developments from Central America laid the foundations for an earthquake early warning system in Switzerland, which we plan to roll out here in the coming months. We are currently working on making the app even more user-friendly and accessible, and will harness these improvements to enhance the applications in Central America.
Are we well prepared for earthquakes here in Switzerland?
Earthquake-resistant construction provides the most effective protection against tremors. But the earthquake safety of most Swiss buildings is uncertain and often inadequate, and upgrading existing buildings is time-consuming and sometimes costly.
In contrast, early warning systems for earthquakes can be put in place at a fraction of the cost. By enabling people to take action just before the tremors begin, earthquake early warning systems can reduce the number of casualties by around 10 to 30 per cent, according to our research.
What is your vision for the next generation of earthquake early warning systems?
My vision is for a system in which early warnings are issued via as many different channels as possible, with the minimum possible delay. Ideally, earthquake warnings would also be integrated into other apps or issued via mobile network broadcasts and sirens. It’s also important to invest in information and prevention campaigns – recipients need to know how to react in an emergency.
How does an earthquake early warning system work?
Two factors, both related to speed, make early warnings possible. Firstly, earthquakes generate different types of seismic waves: P-waves are the fastest and travel at around twice the speed of the destructive S-waves and surface waves that follow them. Secondly, seismic waves are much slower than the electromagnetic waves that modern communication systems use to transmit information. An effective early warning system uses a dense seismic network to detect P-waves as soon as they reach the surface of the earth or water. The data is immediately transmitted at the speed of light to a data centre. Here, data from various stations is collated to determine the expected ground vibrations. In the systems developed at ETH Zurich, ground motion is forecast based on the localisation and characterisation of an earthquake. Based on this forecast, the earthquake early warning system can send warnings to the affected areas. Targeted warnings enable the public to seek shelter, for example, and for machinery such as lifts to automatically switch to a safe operating mode.
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