Situational Awareness for Everyone
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During severe weather and other emergencies, public safety decision-makers and the public have questions - "What's happing around me?" and "What can I do about it?" This is commonly known as "situational awareness." The applications on this page help to answer those questions, by providing real-time data and up-to-date information. These tools are all for public use - no passwords or accounts are required.
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The Maryland Dashboard for Awareness of Situational Hazards (MDASH) is a dashboard and interactive map that provides information on current conditions related to weather, traffic, hydrology, power outages, and more. All of this is contained in a single-page interface that is easy to use. The MDASH also has links to numerous other official sources of up-to-date information on a variety of topics.
The major electrical utility providers in Maryland send their power outage data automatically to MDEM. This information is displayed on a map that summarizes power outages at both the county and zip code level, as well as in an adjustable chart showing the total power outages for the most recent two weeks. Data is provided by utilities every 15 minutes, and represents affected customers (not individuals).
Maryland is subject to flooding from several different sources. Flash floods tend to come after short periods of heavy rain and most often affect small streams and creeks. General flooding comes from more prolonged steady rain and tends to affect larger streams and rivers. Major rivers such as the Potomac and Susquehanna often reach flood stages because of events in distant areas of their watershed. Finally, hurricanes and tropical storms can cause surges that create tidal flooding along Maryland’s bays and their tributaries.