Many disaster management apps became the go to resource for victims as well as rescuers during the crisis in Chennai, popularising the idea of disaster management apps in the country. It has now showed itself as a necessary, if not unavoidable, resource on your phone.
After the whole frenzy about Facebook’s blue verification tick marks, Indians were once again seen obsessing over tick marks, this time green, as Facebook’s Safety Check app became one of the easiest ways for the Chennai flood victims to inform their family, friends and loved ones that they are safe. Google too pitched in with a crisis response page that had resources such as links to emergency helpline numbers, aggregating data on relief centres and crowd sourced maps, that mark out water logged roads and streets with slow traffic. The apps became increasingly relevant as cellular connections began to fail all across the flood affected areas and people had no other means of communication.
For many others, who had neither cellular connection, nor internet access, FireChat is an app that lets users communicate directly through a ‘public room’ (a public networking platform) like #ChennaiRains, #Chennaiflooded, #Chennaifloods and send and access messages and updates about the floods, rescue plans, etc came as a saving grace.
iOS apps
Disaster Alert: Alerts about hazardous incidents like, all types of natural disasters as well as breaking man-made crises anywhere in the world, with both listings and an interactive real-time map.
EarShot: Integrates a unique mobile app, online control centre and emergency notification system that sends and receives messages consisting of unlimited text, completed forms, photos, documents and GPS location.
First Aid: The Red Cross: A complete first aid resource that’s filled with advice, instructions and videos covering everything from everyday emergencies to major injuries.
Android apps
Real time Warning: Alerts about disasters around the world, along with the location, damage caused, severity and impact radius on a world map.
Latest Quakes: Displays full details of earthquakes, including magnitude, date, time, location, depth and shaking intensity.
Hurricane Hound: Tracks current storms on a Google Maps background and displays forecasts of active hurricanes or tropical storms, as well as highlights areas of possible storm development.
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