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Los Angeles has unveiled its long-anticipated earthquake early warning app for Android and Apple smartphones, which is now available for download.

ShakeAlertLA, an app created under the oversight of Mayor Eric Garcetti and the city, is designed to work with the U.S. Geological Survey’s earthquake early warning system, which has been under development for years. It’s designed to give users seconds, and perhaps even tens of seconds, before shaking from a distant earthquake arrives at a user’s location.

“ShakeAlertLA sends you information when a 5.0 or greater earthquake happens in Los Angeles County, often before you feel shaking,” the app says.

Garcetti is scheduled to make an official announcement unveiling the system Thursday morning. The app was built under a contract with AT&T. It had been published quietly online on New Year’s Eve, and by Wednesday morning, users of social media had already found it and had begun tweeting their excitement about the release of the app.

Read the full story on LATimes.com.

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