Watch Duty, the wildfire alert app, is expanding its capabilities to include flood alerts. The popular disaster-awareness service now covers more than just fires, promising to keep users informed about potential flooding too.

The nonprofit started honing its skills in California’s wildfires back in 2021 and has since spread across the US. Its real-time wildfire information proved invaluable during significant blazes like the Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles, leading to a surge in new users and partnerships with tech giants such as Amazon and Google.

Flood monitoring presents fewer challenges compared to tracking wildfires due to the more predictable nature of water movement. However, distilling information from multiple sources remains complex. Watch Duty aims to simplify this for its users by presenting clear, actionable flood warnings based on water levels and forecasts from various agencies like FEMA and the National Weather Service.

This expansion marks a significant step towards Watch Duty’s ultimate goal of covering all natural disasters. While the app will focus only on natural events, not crime-related incidents, Mills envisions it becoming an essential tool in disaster-prone regions worldwide.