TECH GIANT, GOOGLE, HAS EXPANDED ITS FLOOD HUB PLATFORM TO COVER 80 COUNTRIES WORLDWIDE INCLUDING THE ADDITION OF 8 NEW COUNTRIES IN AFRICA. ACCORDING TO GOOGLE, THE EXPANSION CAME AS PART OF AI-ENABLED EFFORTS TO ADDRESS THE DEVASTATING IMPACTS OF FLOODS AND PROVIDE CRITICAL SUPPORT TO VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES. THE FLOOD HUB PLATFORM NOW OFFERS FORECASTS UP TO 7 DAYS IN ADVANCE, BENEFITTING A POPULATION OF 460 MILLION PEOPLE GLOBALLY. THE FLOOD HUB PLATFORM HAS BEEN AVAILABLE IN SEVERAL AFRICAN COUNTRIES PRIOR TO THIS EXPANSION, INCLUDING ANGOLA, BURKINA FASO, CAMEROON, CHAD, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, GHANA, GUINEA, IVORY COAST, LIBERIA, MALAWI, NAMIBIA, NIGERIA, SIERRA LEONE, SOUTH SUDAN, SOUTH AFRICA. THE EXPANSION BRINGS THE TOTAL NUMBER OF AFRICAN COUNTRIES COVERED BY THE PLATFORM TO 23. THE 8 NEW COUNTRIES ADDED IN AFRICA INCLUDE BURUNDI, ESWATINI, GUINEA BISSAU, LESOTHO, MADAGASCAR, RWANDA, SENEGAL, AND ZIMBABWE.