You can now be aware of future disasters, thanks to Google Maps

The latest update of Google Maps now features visual information and warnings of upcoming natural disasters, the tech giant announced recently.

Digital Trends points out that with the new features, Google Maps users would be available to see detailed visualisations of hurricanes, floods and earthquakes, as well as make use of a navigation warning system to stay away from danger.

The new feature, named SOS alerts, would also provide a summary of the incidents, along with relevant news, emergency numbers and websites and updates from the authorities.

Users, especially those living near presumably affected areas, may expect to receive a notification days before a hurricane takes place. Predictions of the expected time and trajectory of the storm would be specified as well.

Furthermore, a "shakemap", in which the magnitude and epicentre of the earthquake are displayed, would also be available within the app. Colour codes would be applied to identify the intensity of the quake in certain areas.

While a feature that forecasts where floods are likely to occur is already available for India in this app, Google Maps plans to keep on improving more disaster-related features, including one that notifies users when a route is affected by an incident and subsequently re-routes to a safer road.