Google activates 'flood alerts' in India to help save lives

In the past, search engine giant Google has always tried to help people at the time of crisis like during the Chennai floods and the Nepal earthquake by quickly compiling a crisis response page. In yet another bid to make critical information more accessible during natural disasters, Google will soon make public emergency alerts for floods available in India.

"Users in India can now find 'flood alerts' along with 'river level' information for more than 170 areas in which the Central Water Commission (CWC) has active observation stations," Google said in a statement.

The alerts will be created and shared using data provided by the CWC. It can be accessed on smartphones and on desktops, Google said.

"Timely information is the first step in disaster preparedness and has the potential to save thousands of lives lost to natural disasters each year," Google Product Manager Payal Patel said.

Last December, during the floods in Tamil Nadu, the search giant quickly compiled a crisis response page, tagged as 'South India Flooding', that brought all the information needed both for those who needed help and those who wanted to help out on single page which was updated in real time.