An official from the administration said while the system would not be able to forecast an earthquake, but it could detect quakes and notify people within seconds before seismic waves actually hit them. The project has been filed with the country's top economic planner for approval, and includes the establishment of some 5,000 stations across the country with two billion yuan in funds, which is around 320 million US dollars. A trial program using nearly 100 monitoring stations is currently being carried out in southeast China's Fujian Province and has proven successful.

 

　　"Even if it's only several seconds in advance, people can be at least notified of an earthquake and then start to evacuate. They can react immediately. It's better than standing there doing nothing."

 

　　"I'm quite worried about the accuracy of the information, because it's reported that there were cases that they thought it were earthquakes, but it turned out it was just firecrackers during the Spring Festival."

 

　　"I'm wondering how the information is disseminated. If the channel is TV, radio or internet, still there are some people who don't know. Not to mention that it's just a few seconds in advance."

 

　　It's been estimated that if people are warned three seconds in advance, casualties can be reduced by 14 percent. If the reaction time is ten seconds, casualties may be dropped by 39 percent.