GuateEW

Guatemala faces high seismic risk due to frequent seismic activity and the vulnerability of the building stock. Earthquake early warning (EEW) can reduce this risk by notifying people seconds before strong shaking arrives, giving them time to take protective action. The Earthquake Early Warning in Guatemala (Guate-EW) project builds on the public EEW system launched in 2024 by the Swiss Seismological Service (SED) at ETH Zurich and Guatemala’s national monitoring agency INSIVUMEH.  Through Guate-EW, this partnership now includes the Guatemalan Red Cross (RCGt) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), strengthening public communication, community engagement, and earthquake preparedness.

The project has three main objectives. First, it aims to strengthen the technical infrastructure and usability of the mobile application so that alerts can be delivered reliably to a growing number of users. Planned improvements include collecting ground-motion measurements from mobile phones and enabling users to share their experiences and submit photographs or videos. Second, the project aims to combine user reports with seismic observations to improve shaking maps and support rapid assessments of potential earthquake impacts. Third, Guate-EW seeks to strengthen public understanding of EEW and help people respond appropriately. Working with humanitarian partners, the project will gather feedback from users and communities to understand their needs, experiences, and barriers to using the application.