CALIFORNIA GEOLOGISTS ARE URGING CONGRESS TO HELP FUND AN EARTHQUAKE EARLY WARNING SYSTEM. THE U.S. DOES NOT CURRENTLY HAVE A SYSTEM, WHICH WOULD ISSUE A NATION-WIDE ALERT UP TO 40-SECONDS BEFORE A QUAKE STRIKES. ADVOCATES HAVE BEEN FOCUSED ON SHAKEALERT, A 2-YEAR-OLD PROTOTYPE FROM THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EARTHQUAKE MONITORING PROJECT. THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY ESTIMATES IT NEEDS AROUND $40 MILLION TO ESTABLISH THE SYSTEM, AND $16 MILLION A YEAR TO KEEP IT RUNNING.