Follow Hurricane Irene on Google Crisis Relief Maps

Google is mapping shelters, evacuation routes and the hurricane itself.

U.S. residents on the East Coast are currently preparing themselves for the arrival of Hurricane Irene. TV networks and radio stations are broadcasting regularly the areas in the most danger, but you can also track the hurricane online by yourself. Google Crisis Relief has thrown together a pretty simple tool using data procured from the National Hurricane Center.

The dashboard shows you the forecast track of Irene as well where the hurricane has already been, and options for viewing evacuation routes, storm surge possibilities, cloud imagery, Red Cross shelters, all of the current watch/warnings for Irene, active 2011 tropical storms and more.

Check it out for yourself at crisislanding.appspot.com. Alternatively, you can keep up with Hurricane Irene on the New York Times' tracker, which details wind speeds, the current location of the storm and its path, or, as always, the National Hurricane Center.

Let us know what you're using to track Irene and remember to stay safe!