8 Best Emergency Apps to Arm Yourself With
Smartphone applications are all fun and games until someone gets hurt – that’s when
they can become some of the greatest resources available, and not to mention lifesaving. Though the future may be hard to predict, you can prepare for the unthinkable
by arming yourself with these eight best emergency apps.
1. FEMA
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) app provides
information on how to prepare for different types of disasters. It
includes features such as emergency kit checklists, and locates nearby
recovery centers. The accompanying blog is a surefire way for the
public to stay involved before and after an incident, by keeping users
informed with updates and rebuilding efforts.
2. ubAlert
Sharing is caring – this app is a global, disaster-alerting social network.
With ubAlert, a combination of data from global institutions and data
providers with crowd-sourced user accounts is pulled and vetted. Once
the app validates the reliability of reported content, it immediately
contacts anyone who may be impacted, based on the disaster's
location and severity. Friends and family can share these alerts through
social media platforms.
3. ER Wait Watcher Finder
Waiting in the ER makes going to the Emergency Room worse than
it already is. With ProPublica’s ER Wait Watcher Finder app, you can
plug in a zip code or use your current location to pull up a map of
nearby emergency rooms. The app conveniently calculates the
duration of each ER trip listed by adding the estimated travel and
wait time.
4. Disaster Alert
This app globally monitors and provides early warning for “Active
Hazards” that are potentially dangerous to people, property and
assets. Monitored hazards include hurricanes, tropical cyclones,
droughts, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanos, floods, storms, wildfires
and high surf. Information and reports about these types of hazards
can be viewed and shared via Disaster Alert.
5. Scanner Radio
Scanner Radio gives you the means to sniff out the situation so you
can be lead detective. The app plays live, unfiltered audio from more
than 4,700 police and fire scanners, weather broadcasts, and radio
reports collected across the globe. It's news in the making, and yours
to interpret.
6. wikiHow
Not just for looking up how to make paper mâché or a slow-cooked
turkey chili, the wikiHow app is also handy to have in a crisis. Use it to
find out helpful tips, such as how to prep for a natural disaster, save a
choking victim, perform CPR, get through the night in the woods, and
even what to do when a bear strikes.
7. RepairPal: Auto Repair Expert
If your car breaks down in the middle of the highway during a raging
winter storm, you may find yourself hard-strapped for options.
Thankfully there's RepairPal. The app is a 24/7 service for auto-related
accidents and issues, big and small. Perks include helping the
distressed driver find a well-rated mechanic nearby, tracking repairs
and one-touch access to roadside assistance.
8. First Aid by American Red Cross
The official American Red Cross app is basically a virtual first-aid kit. It
contains a variety of informative videos, interactive quizzes and stepby-step advice for emergency scenarios. Content is preloaded which
means help is always in your reach, regardless of shoddy reception or
WiFi.
Now that you know which tools to arm yourself with in case of emergency, what are you
waiting for? It pays to be proactive. So go on, download the best emergency apps out
there and you just might become a hero that saves the day.
Sources:
http://www.fema.gov/smartphone-app
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ubalert-disaster-alert-network/id455647397?mt=8
http://lifehacker.com/er-wait-watcher-finds-the-nearest-emergency-room-with-a1530517505
https://itunes.apple.com/app/disaster-alert-pacific-disaster/id381289235
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.scannerradio&feature=search_resu
lt
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wikihow-how-to-diy-survival/id309209200?mt=8
https://itunes.apple.com/US/app/id300996215?mt=8
https://itunes.apple.com/US/app/first-aid-by-american-red-cross/id529160691