TL;DR
- Watch Duty is adding flood-tracking support in the US.
- It will present data from official warnings, precipitation information, and river gauges in an easy-to-understand format.
Popular wildfire alert and tracking app Watch Duty is now introducing support for tracking floods, the non-profit announced in a blog post.
While flood warning systems exist, they can be difficult for most people to find and understand. Warnings often get issued by the National Weather Service, FEMA, NOAA, and other US agencies, which can be difficult to keep up with.
Watch Duty says it will bring official warnings, precipitation data, and river gauges together in one place. It will also present that data in simple, easy-to-understand language, and will display flood information on its map.
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To do all this, Watch Duty will rely on its network of reporters, including current and former first responders, emergency services professionals, and dispatchers. After combing through data and verifying on-scene conditions, the information will be displayed on the app using blue flood icons.
It will include coverage for multiple types of flooding that pose a high risk to communities, as well as hazards like dam or levee failures and down bridges that people should avoid using.
This could make it easier for people to quickly determine whether their community is at risk and to stay updated on the latest developments.
Watch Duty will also let users set personal thresholds for river gauges. The app will then notify users when the gauge hits or crosses their custom threshold. Free users can set an alert on one gauge, while paying users can set alerts on multiple gauges.
Flood tracking is available for free to all Watch Duty users and is available across the US. You can download the Watch Duty app from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store, and even use it in your browser.
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