Facebook has just unveiled a new feature called Safety Check, which allows people to identify themselves as safe following major disasters – as well as keep track of their friends who might’ve been in the affected area. The feature is…
Moore, Oklahoma Toughens Building Codes for Future Tornado Incursions
New residential building codes went into effect Thursday for one tornado-prone town. The city of Moore, Oklahoma is taking preventive measures to protect the area from any further destructive damages incurred from tornadoes. The city recently set in stone tough…
Acapulco Flooding: Thousands to be Evacuated
Dozens of people have lost their lives in Mexico after a tropical storm and hurricane ravaged the country back-to-back, and now rescue efforts are underway to help those who have been affected by flooding. Thousands of tourists and residents left…
New Jersey Sinkhole Swallows Warehouse Worker
It seems fantastical that the Earth could simply open up and swallow whatever is above it. However, sinkholes are a real danger, and just over the past few months sinkholes have taken cars, ponds, and people. This week, a man…
Google Expands Public Alerts to Japan to Help with Natural Disaster Preparedness
Google has expanded its new public alert program to Japan, a country that is still feeling the effects of a massive hurricane and tsunami that hit two years ago. Google Public Alerts, first launched in the U.S. following hurricane Sandy,…
Google Crisis Response Launches Resources For Jakarta Flooding
As it typically does when there’s a major natural disaster, Google’s Crisis Response team has put together a resource page for those affected by flooding in Jakarta. The page helps users track affected areas, and provides updated emergency info. “We…
Google Creates Embeddable Typhoon Pablo Crisis Response Map
Google has been pretty good about getting out crisis response maps for major storms and other natural disasters, and Typhoon Pablo is no different. Google announced the map on its Google Maps blog, and encouraged people to share it or…