eTopical Precious Finds
There is no place or time that is safe from natural disasters. People can experience them anywhere, anytime. The best way to survive them is to be best prepared for them. We understand that rebuilding your homes that can handle a disaster like an earthquake, hurricane or flood is difficult. However, there are bits of technology that can teach you enough to survive. With recent earthquakes in countries like Turkey and Syria, we present you with a list of apps that can help you in case a similar situation occurs to you.
In disaster-prone areas, a know-how kit is especially important. In times of emergency, having one of these apps can be lifesaving. Emergencies don’t come after announcements. Most of the apps require real-time connectivity, so you need to have a stable internet connection regardless of your location in order to use them seamlessly. For this, we recommend Windstream Internet. With Windstream, you can get high-speed internet for an affordable price.
So, download these apps now so that you are prepared during the time of crisis. In addition to providing the necessary information, they can also prepare you for natural disasters that are most likely to occur.
Here is a list of some essential apps to help you in a natural disaster.
- FEMA App
The agency of the US Department of Homeland Security, FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) has an extremely helpful app. You can get real-time alerts if your area is about to experience a natural disaster. You can add the custom alerts that you want. These include lakeshore and coastal flooding, tornadoes, thunderstorms, typhoons, hurricanes, snow, heavy rainfall, fire, avalanche, public hazard alerts, etc.
You can add a new location in the app and get all the information that you want. Other than natural disasters, you can also get alerts for child abductions in your area, civil unrest, harmful chemicals, riots, explosions, 911 phone outages, and more. You can also get information about the nearest disaster resource centers. FEMA app can be downloaded on iOS and Android.
- Offline Survival Manual
Your area may be prone to a specific kind of natural disaster, but almost anything can happen. This is why apps that have comprehensive information about a variety of disasters are more suitable. Offline Survival Manual is one of the best apps when it comes to survival apps for smartphones. This app can help you if you’re stuck in a calamity with limited resources.
The best thing about this is that the app is free and can also be used offline as the availability of the internet becomes difficult in such situations. Some of the areas that this app can help you with our food, shelter, medicine, fire, cold weather, animals, psychology, and directions. Official Survival Manual is currently only available for Android.
- Life 360
One of the biggest issues that people face during an emergency is locating their loved ones. Half the tension can be released if you know where your loved ones are so that you can arrange for help. Life 360 is one of the best location-tracking apps out there. While location tracking may not be like on normal days but during a natural disaster, you’ll be thankful for it.
For example, if an earthquake has hit and your family is not at home, this app can tell you their exact location. Also, if you know that a friend or family member is at a place that is about to be hit by a storm, you can make a news alert for that. If stuck, you can also send a message to your private group.
- Emergency!
This is an app created by the American Red Cross. The app is available in English and Spanish languages and is an extremely easy-to-use app for everyone. From this app, you can get news alerts for over 40 weather conditions. The app also has an amazing map that can lead you to many disaster resource centers.
You can also get step-by-step information to prepare for emergency situations. Emergency! can also give information about a situation from a climate change perspective. And if you want, American Red Cross also has specific apps for emergencies like an earthquake, hurricanes, or tornadoes, first aid for humans and animals both, and blood donors as well.
- Earthquake Alert
Emergencies like hurricanes, tornados, heavy rain, and snowfall can be predicted early on but not earthquake. It is going to take at least 20 seconds to one minute for an earthquake to reach you if you’re not in the epicenter of it. This is where this app, Earthquake Alert comes into play.
You can get real-time alerts of an earthquake if it has happened in the region near you. This app uses official sources and community power to deliver these accurate alerts to you. At times, it can send you an alert 10 to 20 seconds before an earthquake, which is enough to get to a safe place.
Wrapping Up
It is extremely important to have the necessary information and tools to survive a sudden natural disaster. These apps have adequate information, guidance, and forehand information that is important to prepare and survive a natural disaster like hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes.
