Googling An Earthquake? Search Engine Wants To Be Source For Latest Quake Info
"Starting today, when people search for information about an earthquake nearby on search, we'll actually provide information about the quake, and also have some information about how people can stay safe in the aftermath, and during the aftershocks," Susan Cadrecha, Google Search Communications Director told KCBS.
If you have your location history turned on, Google users can type in "earthquake," or "earthquake nearby" to get the information, which is provided by the U.S. Geological Survey. Users with location history turned off will need to add the name of the town to the search.
The USGS information is typically available within seconds of a quake.
Cadrecha said users will also be able to see a map of the quake zone, and affected areas.
"It's sort of the first hand information you get directly from the government sources, which is good because it dispels other information that may not be accurate that's out there on social media," Brad Aagaard of the USGS said.