Hurricane Kit Should Include Smart-Phone Apps

Blackberry and iPhone applications provide critical storm information

Your Blackberry or iPhone could be your most valuable tool during or after a hurricane, with dozens of smart-phone applications available to provide critical information.

Even social network giant Twitter is being utilized to communicate important hurricane information. 

“People are getting our tweets and responding to them,” said Broward County Emergency Management Director Chuck Lanza. 

The agency will be tweeting messages during and after storms. 

“We want to be able to see those and capture the information they have and address that the next time we send out a tweet,” said Lanza.

Web visionary Craig Agranoff, with consulting firm Grip’d, likes the American Red Cross’s application called Shelter View. It indicates what shelters are open and how close they are to capacity.
 
Agranoff also likes the Weatherradio application, which turns your smart-phone into a weather radio.
 
With the Disasterassistance.gov app you can locate and apply for relief.
 
“When you buy a hurricane preparedness kit, you get some water and canned goods,” said Agranoff. “This should be part of your plan too, if you have a cellular device it can come in handy before, during and after a storm.”
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