Google.org's Hurricane Sandy Map

With Hurricane Sandy quickly approaching, Google (News - Alert).org has designed a Hurricane Sandy map to help East Coast residents out during what is projected to be a category-1 hurricane. They have designed two maps: one map that covers the area anticipated to be affected, stretching from Virginia to Massachusetts, and another map for New York City.

“Some are calling the hurricane ‘Frankenstorm’ due to its potential mix of both winter and tropical cyclone weather,” the Google.org blog warns. “Regardless of what you call it, we hope that you get the information you need to make preparations and stay safe if you are in the area. It has the potential to be one of the worst storms the area has seen in decades.” 

The storm is already responsible for 41 deaths in the Caribbean.

Some of the features of the map include the ability to zoom to the current location of the storm, the ability to track the forecast, a three-day forecast cone, and a weather radar system. Users are also able to find active emergency shelters and details about their location and capacity. 

By combining information from the National Hurricane Center and the American Red Cross with Google Maps, Google’s Hurricane Sandy map is an invaluable resource.

The New York City crisis map provides users with information that includes: evacuation zones, evacuation centers, Red Cross emergency shelters, webcams and traffic conditions. It also integrates information from the City of New York’s Twitter (News - Alert) account, the latest alerts from New York City Emergency Management, the WNYC Transit Tracker, and how to prepare for a hurricane.

Google.org provides “tech-driven philanthropy” such as public alerts, a person finder, crisis maps and flu trends. By utilizing Google’s crisis maps, users can stay informed and find the information that they need about Hurricane Sandy quickly from their computers or mobile devices.