Google Flood Hub Expands to 150 Countries, 700M+ People: Gemini-Powered 'Groundsource' AI Now Covers Urban Flash Floods Globally

Google's Flood Hub platform, updated with its 'Groundsource' AI system in March 2026 and continuing global rollout through mid-2026, now covers approximately 150 countries and reaches an estimated 700 million people with AI-powered flood forecasting — nearly doubling coverage from the 80+ countries and 460M+ people reached in 2024. The Groundsource system uses Google Gemini to process over 5 million historical news articles, extracting 2.6 million geo-tagged flood reports as training data. This novel approach dramatically expands forecasting capability for regions without dense sensor networks or hydrological monitoring infrastructure — areas that include much of sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Central America where flood risk is highest and sensor coverage is lowest. The platform now provides up to 24-hour advance warnings for urban flash floods, which are historically the most difficult flooding type to predict due to the complexity of urban drainage systems and rapid runoff dynamics. Flash floods account for over 90% of flood fatalities globally (UNDRR), making accurate short-lead-time warning systems disproportionately high-value for life safety. The 150-country expansion focuses specifically on South Asia, Southeast Asia, West Africa, and Central America where rapid urbanization in flood-prone areas creates acute vulnerability among populations with limited ability to relocate or flood-proof structures. The Flood Hub expansion is available at no cost through Android, Google Search, and SMS partnerships with national disaster management authorities.