Jason Lindesmith, Social Media Lead for Public Affairs, FEMA, recently blogged about how technology has helped him get through several disasters, including Hurricane Irene and Hurricane Sandy. In his post, he reveals the technology tools he found most useful.
1. Staying powered up
Lindesman found that one of his best tools was a weather radio, especially when his power was knocked out for several days. His model had small solar panels and a hand crank for charging as well as multiple ports for charging other devices. Cranking his radio for 1-2 minutes would give him a 20-30 minute charge on his cell phone.
2. Useful emergency apps
Lindesmith particularly liked the Red Cross Hurricane app, the FEMA app and Microsoft HelpBridge. But don’t wait for a storm to hit before downloading them. Because Lindesmith had downloaded the apps well in advance, he was able to access all previously downloaded safety information, even when cell networks were unavailable.
3. Access to information is key
During Hurricane Irene, Lindesmith found himself relying heavily on social media to get the latest updates from towns, cities, school districts, local elected officials, local media, the department of transportation and others.
But he discovered that non-techie approaches were equally helpful. He learned a lot about the local situation just from talking to neighbors. He suggests getting to know your neighbors now so you can more easily share information should a disaster occur.
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