Google has expanded its Flood Hub platform to cover 80 countries worldwide, including the addition of eight new countries in Africa.
To date, 23 African countries are on the Flood Hub and Google says this expansion comes as part of AI-enabled efforts to address the devastating impacts of floods and provide critical support to vulnerable communities.
The new countries added are Burundi, Eswatini, Guinea Bissau, Lesotho, Madagascar, Rwanda, Senegal, and Zimbabwe.
“The inclusion of these countries ensures that a broader range of African communities facing high flood risk and extreme weather conditions can benefit from Flood Hub's accurate and timely flood forecasting services,” says Google.
The Flood Hub platform offers forecasts up to 7 days in advance, benefitting a population of 460 million people globally.
According to the company, floods claim tens of thousands of lives and cause billions of dollars in damages each year, globally.
It says: “Their impacts are particularly severe in low-resource regions that often lack effective early warning systems. By equipping governments, aid organisations, and individuals with advanced flood forecasting tools, Flood Hub empowers communities to take proactive measures and make informed decisions to reduce the devastating effects of floods.”
To further enhance flood preparedness, Google says it is expanding flood alerts through Search and Maps notifications, ensuring that individuals have convenient access to timely and critical flood information.
This expansion, the company says, aims to empower more people to take necessary precautions and safeguard lives and property.
Yossi Mattias, vice-president, engineering and research and crisis response lead, Google, comments: "We recognise the significant impact that floods have on communities worldwide, especially in regions with limited resources and vulnerable populations.
"We are committed to expanding the reach of the Flood Hub platform to support these communities and provide accurate flood forecasting that can help save lives and protect livelihoods."
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