Institute Apologizes for Warning Magnitude Deviation, Denies False Alarm

The Chengdu High-Tech Disaster Reduction Institute (ITP) has issued a fourth statement regarding the 4.7 magnitude earthquake that occurred on August 24. The institute acknowledges a significant deviation in its initial estimate of the earthquake's magnitude but denies that it constituted a false alarm.

ITP states that deviations in magnitude and epicenter estimations for earthquake early warnings are inherent because the system issues information during the nascent stages of an earthquake. In this instance, the initial magnitude estimate was 7.7, a considerable divergence from the actual magnitude of 4.7. This marks the largest deviation since the system's inception in 2011. The institute notes that other international systems have encountered similar discrepancies and, in some cases, entirely false alerts.

The institute also refutes allegations of misappropriating the "China Earthquake Early Warning Network" (CEN) name. According to ITP, CEN is a collaborative project based on a memorandum of understanding between the China Earthquake Administration and ITP. They assert that the China Earthquake Administration had previously approved ITP's use of the CEN designation prior to July 2026, and that ITP consistently included its own name or the "Continent Earthquake Early Warning Network" as a distinction.

ITP emphasizes that its warning service is subscription-based rather than a mandatory broadcast, and thus is not classified as an official release. Furthermore, the institute references its millions of users, questioning who would assume responsibility for their safety if the service were to be prohibited. ITP expresses a desire for increased participation from research institutions and enterprises in disaster response and technological advancement, along with the establishment of industry regulations and standards.