Google admits failure regarding February 6 earthquakes: 'Warning system did not work'
On the morning of February 6, 2023, Turkey faced one of the most devastating disasters in its history. While two major earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş leveled numerous provinces, tens of thousands of people lost their lives and hundreds of thousands were trapped under the rubble. Google has admitted that despite its earthquake early warning system being active, it failed to deliver the critical alert that should have reached millions. The system was on, but it did not engage.
12punto
Google has for the first time explicitly stated that its early warning system did not function as expected during the Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquakes that deeply shook Turkey on February 6, 2023. The company acknowledged that the system, which was supposed to warn millions of people, failed to activate during the critical minutes.
ONLY 469 PEOPLE RECEIVED THE ALERT
According to Google's statement, approximately 10 million people living in areas about 158 kilometers from the epicenter could have received a high-level alert about 35 seconds before the shaking began. However, the system fell far short of this potential. Only 469 people received a serious "Take Action" level alert. Apart from this, only a "light shaking" notification was sent to approximately 500,000 people, and these alerts were classified as low-priority messages that did not carry serious risk.
EARTHQUAKE INTENSITY MISCALCULATED
The system, which runs on Android operating system devices, was active in Turkey on the day the earthquake occurred. Despite more than 70 percent of phone users in Turkey owning Android devices, the system assessed the magnitude of the earthquake as lighter than it actually was, and therefore sent low-level notifications.
GOOGLE BACKTRACKS
Google had previously defended the system, claiming it had performed its function. However, in a recent statement to the BBC, the company noted that lessons have been learned from this major disaster. A company spokesperson stated, "We are improving the system with what we learn after every earthquake."
More than 55,000 people lost their lives and over 100,000 were injured in the two major earthquakes that occurred on February 6, 2023. Because the earthquakes occurred during the night, many people were caught in their sleep and remained under the rubble of collapsed buildings.