In the light of the recent tragedy in Nepal, one has quickly come to realise that technology could have been a life-saver.
Many of us today own a smartphone. Its time we took cognizance of the fact that technology has come a long way, and there are actually certain apps which can save us from a natural disaster before it happens. Following are five such must-have apps.
1. Disaster Alert
Disaster Alert is an app that sends alerts to you when active natural disasters are happening around the world on an interactive map. The app uses a term called ‘Active Hazard’ which refers to a collection of current and real-time incidents that can be termed “potentially hazardous to people,
property, or assets”. ‘Active Hazards’ include – Hurricane, Tropical Cyclone, Earthquake, Flood, National Weather, Service High Surf, High Wind, Man-made Disasters, Storm, Tsunami, Volcano and Wildfire. For most ‘Active Hazards’ the app receives automatic updates after every five minutes.
The App is a free download on Android devices.
2. ubAlert - Disaster Alert
ubAlert is a social network for people living in potentially disaster-prone areas. The app helps in sharing the knowledge of the world’s citizens with those in danger, while simultaneously giving you information on natural disasters happening around the world. ubAlert collects data from verified sources and users and gives instant access to the information shared. This app relies heavily on user collected data to warn or alert you against a potentially big natural disaster.
The app is free for download on Android devices.
3. Storm Tracker
Storm Tracker is essentially a weather app for Android, but it has some amazing features like an interactive map optimized for 3G and WiFi performance, NOWrad, the gold standard for radar in the weather industry and Earthquake Plotting. It is impressive for your handheld device to predict whether you fall under the radar of a potential natural disaster. The app is very easy to use and can also predict the course of weather or a natural disaster for the next 10 days.
Storm Tracker is a free App for Android devices.
4. Natural Disaster Monitor
With this app you can monitor natural disasters around the world, as published by the Global Disaster Alert and Coordination
System. The app shows latest natural disasters like earthquakes, volcano eruptions, tropical cyclones, tsunamis and floods. Every disaster is colour coded to indicate alert levels – green, orange and red. Clicking on the item will bring up more details about the disaster event.
Natural Disaster Monitor App is free to download for Android.
5. Tsunami Alert
It is a well-known fact that tsunamis are caused by earthquakes that happen on sea beds. This app actually gets you real time alerts for tsunami warnings, watches and advisories. The app will alert you when a potentially dangerous tsunami has occurred with real time data from NOAA’s Tsunami Warning Centers. Tsunami Alert app works for US, Canada, and all countries along the Pacific Ocean, India Ocean, and Caribbean Sea. These alerts can give you just that edge over others to find a safe area.
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