6 Useful Apps That Can Help In Times Of Disaster

Here are a few disaster management apps that you can use in times of calamities.

(Photo: The Quint/Canva)

The floods in Kerala have killed hundreds and displaced lakhs. As Kerala faces its worst floods in 100 years, people across the country and outside are doing their bit to help.In such instances, we often wonder if technology such as mobile apps can play a part in preventing calamities or aiding in rescue.

Since there are not enough applications that have been designed to be of help in such times, here are a few we found that could be useful during natural disasters:

1. Disaster Alert

Disaster alert is an app that displays, on an interactive map, active hazards as they occur around the globe.

The term ‘Active Hazards’, refers to a collection of current and real-time incidents that have been declared hazardous to people, property or assets. 

The hazard shown on the app is a result of data compiled from authorities.

The app shows an icon, indicating the natural disaster at the location. It has separate icons for every disaster, which are outlined in Green, Yellow, Sky Blue and Red depending on the intensity of the disaster.

Clicking on the icons, you will find more information, with an option to view the whole hazard overview, with more information about the area.

2. Earthquake Alert

Earthquake Alert is an app that keeps a track of earthquakes around the world. The app shows 1.0+ Mi earthquakes from the US and more than 4.5 Mi earthquakes from all around the world.

It shows earthquakes in a list and map format. In the map format, it shows the area in red circles. Clicking on the circle will give you the exact area and more information about the earthquake.

The app also has a news and stats section.

The news section keeps a track of all the earthquake instances throughout the globe while the stats tab is self explanatory - it shows the stats relating to earthquakes during a certain period like a day, week and a month.

It also tells you the closest earthquake to your location and the largest earthquake within the week, among other stats.

3. Natural Disaster Monitor

As the name suggests, Natural Disaster Monitor app shows the latest natural disasters like earthquakes, volcano eruptions, tropical cyclones, tsunamis and floods as colour coded icons in a list as well as on a Google Maps backdrop.

The icon colours indicate the alert level - green, orange, and red. The icon gets more transparent for older events that were published. 

Just like the earthquake alert app, this one also shows natural disasters in the form of lists and on the map. Clicking on the entry, you will see more details on the disaster. You can also circle the area around the disaster, to mark a red zone and track the distance from your location.

The floods in Kerala, that started with a red icon, have turned orange by Monday, 20 August, indicating an improving situation.

4. Google Maps

Google Maps can be a helpful app in times of natural disasters. From telling you the exact weather in particular locations to tracking your family members by sharing their live locations, Google Maps can be of help during such times.

Apart from giving details about the weather, traffic conditions, etc. Maps also has an SOS feature where Google will pop up relevant information such as phone numbers and related sites. 

In addition, the map also shows real-time updates about road closures and transit updates. Apart from the SOS feature, the ability to share your location with your friends and family is also a useful feature.

Sharing location also shares a person’s battery level, so you know for how long you will be able to contact people.

5. Facebook

Yes, the social media application is also a useful application in times of calamities. Apart from the fact that you can share your status with your complete friends list, its Safety Check tool allows users to indicate whether they are safe or not.

Apart from marking yourself safe, Facebook’s crisis response also helps you connect directly with other people nearby to find help with resources like food, supplies, or shelter. It also gives you an option of raising money by either fundraising or donating.

6. WhatsApp

WhatsApp is making location sharing useful in times of need. 

Facebook owned WhatsApp messenger is also a great way to communicate to let people know your status in tough times.

WhatsApp groups are a good way to first connect with everyone stuck in a disaster area and can also come through as a good source of crowd-funding.

Apart from the ability to reach anyone at any given moment, WhatsApp also allows you to share your live location for up to 8 hours - so you can keep a track of people and know if they are in a safe area or not.