Google Alerts Page – Close up on the United States
# 6100
By now, just about everyone on the Internet is familiar with Google maps, and the broad range of information they can display. Google Earth has redefined the way we look at maps and terrain, satellite imagery, storm tracks and data.
Today, Google has unveiled their latest creation - a Public Alerts Page that allows the user access to real-time emergency alerts from all around the world.
As you mouse over color-shaded areas of the map, specific warnings are displayed. Clicking on the embedded markers will pop up a display, such as the one below:
Part and parcel to good emergency preparedness is situational awareness, and tools like this can quickly provide warnings of current or potential hazards.
Last summer, in NOAAWatch: Your Daily All-Hazards Briefing, I wrote about several other websites that you can use to gauge and monitor potential threats.
NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has a terrific all Hazards Monitor page for anyone wanting a heads up on what threats to be cognizant of.
While the home page provides links to dozens of resources ranging from the NWS, EPA and USGS to the World Meteorological Organization, the DAILY BRIEFING PAGE nicely compiles the most important information on a single page.
Now, getting a daily all-threats briefing can be as easy as clicking a single link.
Another important resource is NOAA WEATHER RADIO (NWR).
Once thought of as mainly a source of local weather information, NWR has now become an `All-Hazards' alert system as well. Working with the FCC’s Emergency Alert System, NWR provides warning and post-event information for natural disasters, man-made disasters, and local public safety information.
Like having an emergency kit and a first aid kit - having a weather radio is an important part of being prepared.
Of course, just knowing about the threats isn’t enough. You have to make use of that information. And NOAAWatch provides some links for that as well:
· Ready America - DHS
· Plan Ahead - FEMA
· Preparedness for People With Disabilities
· HHS - Disasters & Emergencies
· American Red Cross
· DisasterAssistance.gov
You’ll also find a long list of preparedness essays on this site by searching on PREPARE or NPM11.
