Why Almaty residentsd didn't receive earthquake alerts

Tengrinews.kz – After the earthquake in Almaty, many questions and complaints appeared on social media about why no earthquake alerts were sent to residents and visitors’ smartphones.

During earthquakes, residents of the city are accustomed to receiving special notifications directly on their phone screens, usually accompanied by a characteristic sound signal. However, Almaty residents pointed out on social media that no alert was received for today’s earthquake, let alone one being sent in advance.

According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES), the earthquake felt in Almaty was rated 2 points in terms of intensity. The ministry clarified that notifications are triggered when the earthquake's intensity reaches 5 points or higher.

It's important to note that magnitude and intensity (in points) are not the same thing. Magnitude measures the amount of energy released at the earthquake’s epicenter, while intensity measures how strongly the shaking was felt at a specific location.

The earthquake occurred on February 17 at 15:08 Astana time. According to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre, its epicenter was located 74 kilometers northeast of Almaty and 17 kilometers east of the village of Turgen, with a magnitude of 4.8.