Advanced Flood Hub: Enhancing Aid and Government Response

How these new tools support field work

Our flood forecasting tools, like Flood Hub, Floods API, and the historical dataset, are here to help aid organizations, governments, and researchers with detailed, long-range flood info. We're working with these groups because they've got systems in place to give early warnings and start relief efforts early. In 2024, we saw this in action through our partnerships with Give Directly and the International Rescue Committee in Nigeria and Bangladesh. These collaborations let aid groups use our tech to respond better and help communities get ready for future floods.

Support for AI-powered flood relief in Nigeria

We've talked before about how international partnerships are using AI to get ready for floods. In June 2024, Google.org funded Give Directly and the International Rescue Committee to provide cash support to 7,500 people in Nigeria.

GiveDirectly worked in Kogi state along the Niger river, and IRC was active on the Benue river in eastern Nigeria. GiveDirectly used the Google Flood API with their anticipatory action systems to get village-specific alerts and start cash transfers.

Federico Barreras, a humanitarian manager at GiveDirectly, explains, “With Google's historical data, we figured out which areas were most at risk of flooding. Using the Google Flood API, we knew when floods were about to hit our target areas, so we could deliver cash assistance before the peak to those who needed it most.”

This was the first time AI-powered cash relief was used in Africa, getting aid to communities 5-7 days before the flood peak in Nigeria during September - October 2024. The idea is to give families the cash they need to buy food and protect their stuff before disaster strikes. Studies show that knowing about a disaster ahead of time not only helps you prepare better but also cuts down on the costs of dealing with it.

Besides using the Google Flood API to trigger cash relief for 3,000 households in Adamawa State, the IRC is applying this approach in other places, like Northern Kenya. Miles Murray, the IRC's Anticipatory Action Specialist, says, “We're using this automated flood Anticipatory Action method in other areas too, like Northern Kenya, where there was no flood forecast data before, but now AI gives us dozens of reporting points, helping more families get AI-powered cash relief.”

Cash transfers support for affected families in Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, where the Jamuna River basin faces devastating floods every year, GiveDirectly used Google’s Flood Hub to roll out AI-driven anticipatory action. Before the flood season hit in July this year, families in high-risk areas got cash transfers, letting them buy essentials and protect their property. This showed how AI can boost flood forecasting and directly help affected communities. Abir Chowdhury, Bangladesh interim country director at GiveDirectly, says, “In Bangladesh, we usually set anticipatory action triggers at the district level, which covers big areas. But with Google’s AI-powered forecasts, we tried a more targeted approach — sending anticipatory cash to villages to reach the most at-risk communities before floods hit.”

Looking ahead

As we keep expanding Flood Hub's reach and improving its features, we're all in on creating new tools to boost flood preparedness, response, and recovery around the world. Our aim is to help international organizations act fast and make local communities stronger against climate crises.

Government agencies, NGOs, and researchers can access a free, shareable map of all river gauge data — past and forecasted — updated daily. Check out our Flood Forecasting research site to use Flood Hub or learn more.