Google Maps supplies critical crisis information to the public through search engines . It is used to provide crisis information such as road closure , areas covered in debris , roads which are passable , and resources such as for emergency medical stations . Using the My Map feature , KPBS , a broadcast station , created a map which provided real-time updates on the San Diego wildfires in 2007 . The map received more than two million views within a couple of days . Google Maps was used to track the path of Hurricane Irene which hit the US eastern coast in August 2011 . Besides mapping , Google Maps also displayed 3 – 5 day forecasts for Hurricane Irene , showed evacuation routes , and marked out the coastal areas of the which were in the danger of the impending storm surge
San Diego wildfires
October 2007 California wildfires
Google Crisis Response