Just in time for hurricane Irene, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has released an application for Android mobile phones. Just put in the Android Market a couple of days ago, it has been downloaded less than 100 times. I tried it out and can see a couple of things that I would change, but generally it works pretty well.
Some of the features:
- A disaster victim can apply for federal assistance right from their phone
- Maps of Disaster Recovery Centers and shelters (the maps are a little buggy)
- A frequently updated blog that contains the latest news about current disasters.
- Pre-disaster information about being prepared.
The name of the app is “FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)”. Do not confuse it with a similar looking app called “FEMA Mobile”, which is being distributed by a private individual, has advertisements, and merely links to the FEMA web site.
The app is free. FEMA is working on versions for Blackberry version 6 devices and iPhones, which should be available in a matter of weeks.
