The popular wildfire alert app, Watch Duty, is expanding its disaster-awareness service to include flood alerts, marking the second major disaster type added after wildfires.
The nonprofit, which launched in 2021 focusing on California wildfires, has grown to cover the entire US. It utilizes a network of paid reporters and numerous volunteers who monitor emergency responder radio channels, translating this information into actionable alerts for app users.
Unlike the complex and unpredictable nature of wildfires, monitoring floods is generally more straightforward. John Mills, Watch Duty's CEO, notes that floods often provide more advance warning, making them somewhat easier to track, barring catastrophic events like dam failures.
However, consolidating flood information from various US agencies like FEMA, the National Weather Service, and NOAA can be overwhelming. Watch Duty aims to simplify this by distilling a mass of data into a clear, easy-to-understand outlook, enabling users to make informed decisions based on real-time information and water level data from buoys.
While Watch Duty has previously flagged individual flood events, full integration has been a priority. Mills confirms that expanding to cover more disaster types has always been the long-term vision, with floods being the first major step. The app's growth has also led to increased investment and partnerships, including a collaboration with Google.org to develop AI tools for transcribing wildfire radio traffic.
Watch Duty's ultimate goal is to cover all natural disasters, from wind and fire to lava flows, providing critical information to those in disaster-prone regions, but it will steer clear of monitoring crime-related incidents.
