Can ordinary citizens help predict disasters before they strike?

In Kerala, they already are. After the 2018 floods, volunteers began tracking rainfall daily, block by block.

Using simple rain gauges installed in their homes and neighbourhoods, citizens now record rainfall each morning, share real-time data with local authorities, and help trigger early warnings for floods and landslides. Today, a statewide network of “rainkeepers” stretches from Kottayam’s backwaters to the riverbanks of Ernakulam, showing how community science is filling dangerous gaps in India’s weather and disaster monitoring systems.

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Community rain monitoring helps disaster preparedness