ubAlert is a global social network where users share alerts about disasters both natural (such as Hurricane Katrina) and man-made (9/11 terrorist attacks). Ordinary citizens can post accounts of what they see and experience, giving true first-hand reports of disaster events as they unfold.
FEMA’s app is comprehensive: Use it to arrange a meeting spot with your family, to find an interactive emergency kit and to learn basic disaster safety tips.
There are several great first aid apps out there, including a great one by the American Red Cross but our favorite is the Pocket First Aid and CPR app from Jive Media. It even helped one victim of the 2010 Haiti earthquake survive for more than 60 hours under a pile of rubble.
ReUnite, the lost family finder from the U.S. National Library of Medicine, helps to update the NLM’s People Locator for natural disasters. Post information about missing (and found) family members to ensure the searches begin immediately.
Before you go reporting anyone missing, the Life360 Family Finder lets your family members share their exact location with you at all times. Don’t worry, you can turn off the location services when not in an emergency, or just use the chat feature to stay in touch.
Imagine yourself in a disaster situation. Pretty bad, right? Now imagine yourself in a disaster situation in a foreign country. You don’t know where the closest embassy is, or the 911 equivalent in Germany or Mexico or Japan, let alone the separate numbers for fire, police and medical services. The !Emergency! app will automatically detect the country you're in and then direct you to the proper authorities.
It may not seem likely that you’ll be stranded in an area where you’ll have to forage for food, but your stomach will thank you for this Wild Edibles app if you are. It gives you the information you’ll need to identify, harvest and use over 165 of the best medicinal and edible North American plants.
This app shows you the location of nearby shelters that have been opened to provide assistance. Updated every 30 minutes, you'll be able to see the location, capacity, current number of shelter residents and the date and time of the last update for each shelter.
Winter storms are another threat to start preparing for, and this winter survival kit can help. It details what you should keep with you in your car and what to do if you do end up stranded, and will notify emergency services for you. It'll even alert you to turn your car off briefly every 30 minutes and to check your exhaust pipe for snow buildup, to protect from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Following the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, disaster preparedness is on everyone’s mind this storm season. You should keep your home equipped with these fundamental supplies at all times and your family should have a plan in place in case of emergencies.
Since we rely on our cell phones so much when the threat of disaster is not imminent, it only makes sense that they could become more useful when it is. The nine apps in the above gallery will help you and your family in the time leading up to a storm and in its aftermath. While a cell phone probably won’t help you in the potential weeks without heat or power, it could be invaluable in the case of a medical emergency requiring first aid or a missing family member.
See also: A Digital How-To for Disaster Preparedness
Remember that no app or service will help you if your phone dies, so use a hand crank charger or an Eton Device to keep yourself powered up. Also, these gadgets could help to keep you safe, warm and informed.
It's also a good idea to enable Wireless Emergency Alerts on your device, so that you're receiving up to date information at all times.
There's no way to be completely prepared for the devastating events of a hurricane, earthquake or other natural disaster, but taking precautionary steps before the event and having a plan in place can help keep you and your family safe.
If you have any tips or emergency services apps that have been helpful to you in the past, let us know in the comments.
Image: Mashable composite, iStock, hocus-focus, tkacchuk