A catastrophe or natural disaster can occur when least expected. That's why the Google Crisis Response Team created Public Alerts and Crisis Map to help people better prepare for these unfortunate situations. Today, we’re launching Google Public Alerts and Crisis Map in Colombia to provide people with access to useful information before, during, and after a natural disaster such as a tropical storm, hurricane, flood or landslide.
Starting today, relevant information about extreme weather changes which threaten the safety of Colombians will appear on Google Public Alerts as well as emergency related information for impacted areas on Crisis Map. This information will also be displayed in Google Search, Google Maps, Google Maps Mobile and Google Now.
Our goal at Google Crisis Response is to provide citizens with the critical information needed in an emergency. We’re able to provide Public Alerts and Crisis Map in Colombia thanks to the support of the Colombian Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (IDEAM) and the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD).
Colombia is the first country in Latin America to implement the system. Public Alerts is currently available in five other countries: Australia, Canada, Japan, Taiwan, and the United States.
Google Public Alerts and Crisis Map
Google Public Alerts now provides accurate and relevant emergency alerts when and where you need them in Colombia. For example, if a red alert is issued for flooding in your area, you’ll see the alert when doing a relevant search on Google or Google Maps, either on desktop or mobile, and will have access to timely information:
You can see alert details through the ‘More information’ link.
Colombia’s Crisis Map, shown below, provides various layers of information such as public alerts, shelters and crisis response centers in the impacted area. This is a valuable resource for people who live in or near the impacted area, and for crisis response teams who need access to reliable information.
