We really need rapid response risk maps available to media in the event of major pollution events like the refinery fire in El Segundo, CA this past Thursday (https://bit.ly/4gZEcke). In the same way as we do with hurricanes, people need to know if they are in a region of concern or not at a glance, and maps work better than text descriptions now that most have smartphones. Knowing current wind patterns, adding data from sensor networks where available, and previous similar events (fires, releases, spills, etc.) can be enough to make quick predictions in minutes of where people need to take action or not. The EPA or NWS could do this, and it would be invaluable to emergency management. Like this case, many of these will not be major exposure events, but we should have the ability to show people to engender trust as to why they were not at significant risk.
