The Remarkable Red Cross Emergency Preparedness Apps

I recently downloaded the four available Red Cross Emergency Preparedness Apps for smart phones and I love them. You should too.

What a remarkable way to have emergency preparedness at your fingertips.

Earthquake – Wildfire – Hurricane – First Aid

Each application has a tab for prepare – what do you need to do to plan ahead? Use the “If you do nothing else” suggestions to get started and take the steps to protect your home.

Think you already know it all? Take the test and see what you need to brush up on and earn achievement badges. Have your kids do it too!

Sign up for alerts and monitor your location. Your phone will be notified if there is an emergency in your area. That might not be so important after an earthquake (I will already have felt it and been informed) but if there is a wildfire threat, I want to know about it ASAP!

The emergency has occurred and you
need to leave your home- is there a Red Cross shelter in your area? Find what is available in your area. There are many shelters open right now to help aid citizens in the Northeast States.

The top right corner has a toolkit button. This is where you will find a flashlight and the capability to turn on a strobe light. There is also a loud alarm in case you are stranded or (hopefully not) buried, and easy to use – the I’m safe button – which links you to the social media account of your choosing. I tried it on my personal Facebook page and it posted an “I’m Safe” message and let my type information about where and how I am. Cool!

Of the four available apps, my favorite is  First Aid. It has  useful, lifesaving information, and I think I will use it the most. Want to know what to do during an asthma attack? It’s in there – help the person to sit in a comfortable position and help them take their medication. Watch the 0:18 second video if you still have questions. What about a diabetic emergency, heat stroke, shock or heart attack? It is all there, plus much more. Learn about common First Aid situations, watch a short video, and then test your knowledge:

// You’re at a family get together and your uncle starts complaining of severe crushing pains in his chest. Who’s advice should you listen to?

Uncle Larry: “Oh, he’ll be alright. Let him rest for half and hour. It’s probably just last night’s dinner”
Cousin Tim: “Sit him down and call an ambulance right away”
Nan: “Just help him upstairs to lie down”

// An actual Emergency is happening – go to the emergency tab, pick the situation and see short, concise information about what to do, plus a link to call 911.

These Red Cross Emergency Preparedness applications give us access to the information we need, when we need it. Don’t wait another day to be prepared for the emergency situations that come your way. There’s an app for that!

PreparednessMama

Preparedness Mama and its collaborators have created a one-stop shop of critical resources for families looking to prepare for disaster. We know firsthand that getting ready for the worst with a big family poses some particular challenges.

 

We’ve learned from the past so that you don’t have to make the same mistakes again. Fear of the unknown is one of the scariest things in life, but we hope that Preparedness Mama’s treasure trove of practical advice will make that unknown less daunting and ultimately help take the scared out of being prepared for every single one of our readers.