In the age of digital info, what better way to offer emergency preparedness tips and info than via a mobile app. After all, almost everyone always carries their phone with them these days. I think that’s what FEMA realized when they released a recent suite of mobile preparedness apps for both Droid and iOS mobile platforms. In designing the app, FEMA says they worked hard to keep the disaster survivor in mind. For example, the app makes much of the information available even if cell phone service isn’t. That way disaster victims can access the important information on how to stay safe after a disaster, the location of your family emergency meeting locations, etc. Of course, ER Survival Kits come with a Hand-Crank and Solar Powered Radio Flashlight that charges all cell phones with its universal charger outlet.
The FEMA emergency preparedness app offers several useful features such as the ability to:
- Check off the items you have in your family’s emergency kit
- Enter your family emergency meeting locations
- Review safety tips on what to do before, during and after a disaster
- View a map of shelters and disaster recovery centers across the U.S.
A new and separate service from the new app, provides text message updates to cell phone users to receive text message updates from FEMA.
- Text PREPARE to 43362 (4FEMA) to sign up to receive monthly disaster safety tips
- Text SHELTER + your ZIP code to 44362 (4FEMA) to find the nearest shelter in your area (example: shelter 12345)
- Text DRC + your ZIP code to 44362 (4FEMA) to find the nearest disaster recovery center in your area (for example, if you lived in Annandale, Virginia with a Zip Code of 22003, you’d text DRC 22003).