It has been 10 years since Hurricane Katrina ravaged the US. Back then, you could not simply Google some updates on the storm and get real time updates. Nowadays, the opposite is true. Google has dedicated its resources to providing this very service to its US-based users.
Google has added weather trackers, safety advice, and a few more helpful features that can advise anyone in the storm’s path on information about it, IBN Live reports. Weather technologies now available are proximity-based weather trackers, forecast details, and safety tips which all improve the Google Public Alerts service.
The Google Crisis Response Team rolled this out ahead of the storm season since Hurricane Katrina’s experience is very much fresh with the American public. Efforts by the Response Team include but are not limited to providing information on storms, shelter locations, emergency numbers, and even donation opportunities.
The Google Blog published its story a few days ago and they said that Google utilized the help of third-party organizations to create searchable databases so that folks can check out the status of loved ones.
Searching a particular storm will now yield maps with your location relative to the storm. Visualizations are also now available which show a storm’s forecasted track, wind severity, and storm ETA care of NOAA. Precise instructions customized based on location will also be shown and these are care of FEMA and ready.gov.
While not every storm will have the same strength and damage to property as Katrina, being safe and ready for any eventuality is Google’s concern. Early warning devices and information can mean the difference between life and death for some people. Being able to provide accurate information by means of a simple Google search ahead of time is an amazing advantage as storm intensity becomes more unpredictable.
