"The RTD is in a race with the seismic waves," says Kuo. He explains that while it is nearly impossible for those near the epicenter of a strong quake to flee the danger, earthquake warning systems can deliver warnings to those further away, giving them some number of seconds to prepare before the most damaging seismic waves reach them.
「地震速報系統，就是與地震波傳遞速度賽跑的過程，」郭鎧紋解釋，強震發生時，瞬時間即天崩地裂的震央周邊，固然難逃地牛翻身的毒手，但距震央較遠的區域，地震速報系統的即時警訊，就可能在最具破壞性的地震波來臨前，爭取數秒乃至數十秒的緊急應變時間。