Information: www.fema.gov/mobile-app
Hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, blizzards. There’s an app for all that. Rather, there’s an app to give you a heads up about those possible disasters, how to prepare for them, and what to do if by some chance you get hit with one. “The app is a no-brainer and it is free,” said Ruben Brown with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, which developed the app. Brown is external affairs specialist for FEMA’s Region IV, which encompasses Georgia and other southeastern states. The app was launched five years ago but there are now several cool updates. “Mother Nature can turn on a dime,” Brown says. “We just want everyone to be ready for whatever comes their way.”
Q: What does FEMA do exactly?
A: We are the arm of the federal government that helps people prepare for, prevent, respond to and recover from natural and man-made disasters. Our vision is a nation prepared. In fact, a big part of what we do is helping people gain knowledge of the types of disasters that can impact their area, regardless of where they live in the United States.
Q: What kind of disasters hit our region that we need to be on alert for?
A: That's really seasonal. Right now, we're monitoring for possible hurricane activity in the Atlantic and in the Gulf of Mexico. When it comes to winter, we are vigilant for ice storms and snow. In the springtime, we are on the look out for tornadoes and flooding.
Q: Why did FEMA develop this app?
A: Research shows that 40 percent of Americans use their smartphones to look up government services and information. And many smartphone owners use their devices to keep up with breaking news. It just makes sense that we equip people with the information they need to prepare for emergencies.
Q: What’s so cool about the app?
A: It has several great features. You can get weather alerts from the National Weather Service. It has safety tips for over 20 types of disasters and what to do before, during or after them. It has a neat feature called "disaster reporter" that allows you to upload and share photos of disaster-affected parts in your neighborhood with people outside of your area. One of my favorite features is "maps of disaster resources." For example, you can locate an open shelter and receive driving directions. The app also provides directions to FEMA-sponsored disaster recovery centers. And here's another neat feature. If you are in a disaster-affected area and think you are eligible for disaster assistance, you can actually apply for it using the app.
Q: Can’t you get alerts and disaster-related information on more than one location?
A: You can set the app to receive information on up to five locations in the U.S. Say you have a college student or an elderly relative living in other parts of the country, and they're not getting disaster information in a timely fashion. You can upload their zip codes to receive smartphone alerts for their area and quickly relay safety information to them.
Q: Do you think people are too complacent when it comes to disasters, that they think bad things won’t happen to them.
A: We do worry about complacency. People may think, "I don't live on the coast so why should I worry about hurricanes?" We want everyone to remember that hurricane are massive storms and can spread their effects far inland. We're at the height of hurricane season, which is why people should get or update the app and familiarize themsevles with it.
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