This morning we generated a test earthquake to support practise drills across New Zealand for ShakeOut 2022. The test event was triggered with shaking intensity equivalent to an MMI 7, "severe" shaking. Shaking levels experienced in recent damaging earthquakes. Those using the Sentinel App received notification at 09:30am of this test, and we populated two demonstration buildings with the shaking data.
The demonstration building data presented compares a measurement of the shaking with either an earthquake prone building or an earthquake resilient building.
Base your earthquake response plan on data
When the shaking starts your first action is drop, cover, hold. If you are inside a tsunami evacuation zone, and the event is long and strong, get gone. These are the guidance of public earthquake authorities in NZ and your best immediate response. Once the shaking stops, data provided by a subscription to Sentinel will expedite your return to your building. With pre-set building characteristics, we compare the measured shaking with building tolerances based on the NZ Building Code, and deliver this to you within seconds of the event. Use this data to chose your next step - manage the response internally or seek further advice.
Data sent 27th October 2022 09:30am for ShakeOut
Here are examples of the messages transmitted by Sentinel to App users. The three SMS messages shown (we email and notify too) include the initial test earthquake shaking, the result for an earthquake prone building (Status: RED) and the result for an earthquake resilient building (Status: AMBER). In the buildings list shown in the App screenshot, these two buildings have risen to the top due to their changed status. They are coloured to highlight the impact and prompt action. Stepping in to the details of each building we can see the impact the MMI 7 shaking had for the two fictional buildings. Enough shaking for the earthquake prone building to be at considerable risk, shaking is above the design maximum, and enough to force evacuation of the structure until further assessment can be made. For the earthquake resilient building, a different outcome. Local teams can inspect for hazards and isolate them before re-entry. The design maximum of this building has not been exceeded, data supports earlier re-occupancy of this building.
Contact us to get visibility to these data and discuss.