{"id":16943,"date":"2026-06-22T16:01:54","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T16:01:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16943"},"modified":"2026-06-22T16:01:54","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T16:01:54","slug":"watch-duty-the-fire-tracking-app-used-by-millions-expands-to-help-monitor-dangerous-floods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16943","title":{"rendered":"Watch Duty, the fire-tracking app used by millions, expands to help monitor dangerous floods"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

By GABRIELA AOUN ANGUEIRA<\/strong><\/p>\n

When a fire broke out a few miles from his Altadena, California, home the evening of Jan. 7, 2025, Matt Blea and his family needed to make a crucial decision: Should they stay home, or evacuate?<\/p>\n

Read more Upcoming billing change could make pregnancy pricier<\/a><\/p>\n

A friend who did mountain rescue told Blea to download a free app called Watch Duty. On the app, he could see the fire\u2019s perimeter, track evacuation orders and read updates about the emergency response. \u201cIt influenced me to leave the home sooner than later,\u201d said Blea, who left with his wife and son that evening, before the Eaton Fire destroyed their home.<\/p>\n

Blea was one of more than 2.5 million people who used Watch Duty to track fires burning across Los Angeles County that week. The information was collected, vetted and disseminated by about two dozen Watch Duty staff and over 100 volunteers who monitored emergency radio traffic, aircraft reports and local agency communications.<\/p>\n

The service proved vital, said David Hertz, a Malibu resident and captain of his community\u2019s fire brigade, especially when some areas received little-to-no warning about the Eaton and Palisades fires that killed 31 people. \u201cIt\u2019s like a democratization of data that empowers people.\u201d<\/p>\n

This month, Watch Duty began helping people track another deadly and destructive climate hazard: flooding.<\/p>\n

The expansion comes as peak flash flood season begins in the U.S. and nearly one year after last July\u2019s deadly Texas floods that killed more than 130 people, prompting outcry over why Texas Hill Country residents and visitors didn\u2019t receive better communication about the impending danger.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is painful that this keeps happening,\u201d said John Mills, CEO and co-founder of the donor-supported nonprofit behind the app. \u201cWe\u2019re not spreading enough information fast enough on as many channels as humanly possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Mills built the app after his own close calls<\/h4>\n

Mills founded Watch Duty in 2021 after not receiving official alerts or evacuation instructions when a fire burned near his Northern California home.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a problem seen in many recent disasters. While the U.S. has systems for sending alerts by text, radio, and other means, the process to issue a specific warning or evacuation order can get tangled in bureaucracy and often depends on humans making difficult decisions under pressure.<\/p>\n

Often the information people need to understand their risk is out there, Mills said, but it is hard to find and use. \u201cThe systems are really struggling to meet people where they are.\u201d<\/p>\n

On fire days, Mills found himself relying on volunteer radio operators who monitored scanners during emergencies and posted updates on social media. The posts helped, but social media had downsides \u2014 including how misinformation and unrelated content could drown out life-or-death updates.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

A software engineer and entrepreneur, Mills recruited some of those volunteers and fellow engineers to build an answer. He made Watch Duty a nonprofit, which has helped build trust with its more than 20 million users. It received nearly $6 million in grants and donations in 2025.<\/p>\n

Watch Duty puts emergency information in one place<\/h4>\n

Watch Duty now has about 300 volunteer \u201creporters\u201d who collate and vet information from radio scanners, cameras, satellites, user-generated content and public announcements. Information is available in five languages and pushed out through maps, text feeds, and push notifications that can sound even when phones are silenced.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not going to have to go to multiple other entities, to the weather service, emergency management website, county website,\u201d said Watch Duty meteorologist Pete Curran. \u201cIt\u2019s in one place, in plain language, and it\u2019s going to wake you up if you\u2019re asleep.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more China hits back at US sanctions on tech giants, restricting its exports to American defense firms<\/a><\/p>\n

Watch Duty can sometimes push out information faster than local agencies in part because its reporters have only one role to fill, said Curran, a retired firefighter. \u201cOur only responsibility is to watch and listen. We\u2019re not in charge of the incident.\u201d<\/p>\n

The nonprofit took on flooding next because of its widespread impact. \u201cWe are seeing crazy rainfall in places that it\u2019s not normal for them,\u201d said Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell, U.S. Fire Administrator under President Joe Biden and longtime data scientist who is now a Watch Duty board member. \u201cMaybe it\u2019s never happened before, but it\u2019s happening now, so you need to be aware.\u201d<\/p>\n

The app pulls weather modeling and other data from the National Weather Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and U.S. Geologic Survey. Users can view NWS flood warnings and watches, river gauge levels, and notices of possible dam or levee failures.<\/p>\n

Users can also better understand their risk ahead of time. They can see whether they\u2019re in a FEMA-designated flood area, or what levels on a river gauge would indicate danger, and customize notifications to be alerted if a gauge reached a certain height.<\/p>\n

Preparation and redundancy enhance safety<\/h4>\n

Despite Watch Duty\u2019s explosive growth, a phone app can\u2019t solve all the challenges with informing the public during emergencies.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love seeing products like this come out, but one thing we know to be true in the Texas floods, is a warning is only as good as the knowledge to do something about it,\u201d said Chad Berginnis, executive director of the Association of State Floodplain Managers.<\/p>\n

The ASFPM recommends knowing how to reach an evacuation zone and not just having an emergency plan, but practicing it. \u201cOne of the massive failures is not knowing what to do,\u201d said Berginnis.<\/p>\n

The national infrastructure for monitoring weather and alerting the public is also at risk from past and funding cuts to federal agencies and local emergency warning systems. \u201cAt the end of the day, if you want eyes and ears out there, you\u2019ve got to pay for it,\u201d said Berginnis.<\/p>\n

Mills stressed Watch Duty is not meant to replace the work of weather and emergency agencies. \u201cWe need National Weather Service, we need fire service, we need all this infrastructure to operate.\u201d He said users should still enroll in their local alerting system.<\/p>\n

And of course, a phone app is only helpful to those who download it, and who have cell coverage to use it.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to have redundancy,\u201d said Berginnis, adding that an inexpensive NOAA weather radio can fill in when other systems fail. \u201cSometimes we get so focused on tech, we forget the easy stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP\u2019s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP\u2019s philanthropy coverage, visit https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/philanthropy.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more Pope Leo XIV warns wars are \u2018fed\u2019 faster than people as aid money dries up<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Watch Duty, a free app that tracks fires, became a vital tool during the 2025 LA fires. Now it’s expanding to help monitor floods.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16942,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16943","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-based-on-facts-either-observed-and-verified-directly-by-the-reporter-or-reported-and-verified-from-knowledgeable-sources","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nWatch Duty, the fire-tracking app used by millions, expands to help monitor dangerous floods - Silicon Valley Moving Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16943\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Watch Duty, the fire-tracking app used by millions, expands to help monitor dangerous floods - Silicon Valley Moving Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Watch Duty, a free app that tracks fires, became a vital tool during the 2025 LA fires. Now it's expanding to help monitor floods.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16943\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Silicon Valley Moving Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-22T16:01:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=16943#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=16943\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7\"},\"headline\":\"Watch Duty, the fire-tracking app used by millions, expands to help monitor dangerous floods\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-22T16:01:54+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=16943\"},\"wordCount\":1145,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=16943#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/986980d768c79056bf062c9c28b94a2b.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.\",\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=16943#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=16943\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=16943\",\"name\":\"Watch Duty, the fire-tracking app used by millions, expands to help monitor dangerous floods - Silicon Valley Moving Post\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=16943#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=16943#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/986980d768c79056bf062c9c28b94a2b.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-22T16:01:54+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=16943#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=16943\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=16943#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/986980d768c79056bf062c9c28b94a2b.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/986980d768c79056bf062c9c28b94a2b.webp\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":682},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=16943#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Watch Duty, the fire-tracking app used by millions, expands to help monitor dangerous floods\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Silicon Valley Moving Post\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Watch Duty, the fire-tracking app used by millions, expands to help monitor dangerous floods - Silicon Valley Moving Post","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16943","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Watch Duty, the fire-tracking app used by millions, expands to help monitor dangerous floods - Silicon Valley Moving Post","og_description":"Watch Duty, a free app that tracks fires, became a vital tool during the 2025 LA fires. Now it's expanding to help monitor floods.","og_url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16943","og_site_name":"Silicon Valley Moving Post","article_published_time":"2026-06-22T16:01:54+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16943#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16943"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7"},"headline":"Watch Duty, the fire-tracking app used by millions, expands to help monitor dangerous floods","datePublished":"2026-06-22T16:01:54+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16943"},"wordCount":1145,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16943#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/986980d768c79056bf062c9c28b94a2b.webp","articleSection":["Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.","News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16943#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16943","url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16943","name":"Watch Duty, the fire-tracking app used by millions, expands to help monitor dangerous floods - Silicon Valley Moving Post","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16943#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16943#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/986980d768c79056bf062c9c28b94a2b.webp","datePublished":"2026-06-22T16:01:54+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16943#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16943"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16943#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/986980d768c79056bf062c9c28b94a2b.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/986980d768c79056bf062c9c28b94a2b.webp","width":1024,"height":682},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16943#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Watch Duty, the fire-tracking app used by millions, expands to help monitor dangerous floods"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/","name":"Silicon Valley Moving Post","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com"],"url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16943","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16943"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16943\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/16942"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}