The Philippines has long been susceptible to extreme weather patterns, with an average of 20 tropical storms making landfall each year. In times of crisis, it’s vital that useful information is available to as many people as possible. This is why we’re launching Public Alerts in the Philippines to make accurate and relevant alerts more accessible during typhoon season.

Going forward, typhoon alerts will appear on the Google Public Alerts page and across Google Search, Google Maps and Google Now. In the event of a typhoon, searching for related information on Google Search or Maps on your desktop or mobile device will result in a warning like the one below.
[Image] A Google search for “typhoon” will result in an alert
And you can click on the alert to find out more information including the projected area of impact, estimated time of arrival, and advice on what to do to stay safe.
[Image] Details shown in a Public Alert
On Android and iOS devices, Google Now will display a card with alert information and any official evacuation instructions to users who are located in affected areas.
[Image] Mock Public Alert on Google Now for typhoon warning
We’re able to provide Public Alerts in the Philippines thanks to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA). Their partnership and commitment to providing data to the public enables Google and others to make critical and life-saving information more widely available.

We look forward to expanding Google Public Alerts to more countries and working with more warning providers. We encourage potential partners to read our FAQ and to consider using an open format for their data, such as the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP). To learn more about Public Alerts, please visit our Public Alerts homepage.

Posted by Meryl Stone, Strategic Partnerships, Google Crisis Response