Culture
An Earthquake Response System That's Faster Than 911
The One Concern algorithm predicts which parts of the city will be hit hardest to get them help first.
When a magnitude 6 earthquake shook Napa County in August 2014, thousands of calls came pouring in to 911, reporting everything from minor injuries to a gas fire. It was up to a small staff of dispatchers to process those calls and work with the local fire chief to figure out who needed saving and in what order.
The quick thinking of that emergency response team limited the fallout from the quake—the Bay Area’s largest since Loma Prieta in 1989—which killed one person and injured more than 200. But the technology at their disposal was largely reactive: wait for people to call in, figure out who probably needs the most help, send responders there. A fiercer quake in a more densely populated area would stretch the limits of that approach.