Launch of Google’s Emergency Public Alert Service

oday’s post is an important one that ultimately and literally could be a lifesaver. Google, in conjunction with their mapping technology, has launched [see here] a platform service called Google Public Alerts that is designed to help you find critical emergency information during a crisis. The intent of the platform is to disseminate emergency messages such as the location of crisis events (such as hurricanes and earthquakes) and what actions to take (such as evacuation notices).

The Google Public Alerts service uses alerts provided by our authoritative, trusted partners. What alert you see (if any) depends on what alerts are active at a given location, on their severity, and on what you search for and where. To see all alerts go to the Google Public Alerts homepage.

Google Public Alerts currently shows weather, public safety and earthquake alerts from US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Weather Service, and the US Geological Survey (USGS).

Keep in mind that Google Public Alerts is a new baby, with future improvements expected (beyond weather and earthquakes), and should only be used as a supplemental tool or resource in determining the extent and degree of an emergency event. To see more on this [CLICK HERE].