STAY ALIVE With This Bleeding-Edge Tech (Free)

Yesterday we looked at a simple messaging app that can cut through a communication blackout during a crisis.

Today, I’d like to keep that ball rolling and explore some other great apps that can not only help you get through the worst of a crisis… but also start to rebuild when the danger has passed.

But before we do, I want to issue a small word of warning: NEVER become overdependent on an app.

Some of the apps we are going to talk about today are very useful — some are even potentially lifesaving. But there’s a good chance you won’t be able to access them when you need them most.

In a hurricane situation, when flooding is rampant, it’s easy to submerge your phone long enough to fry it… or to lose it entirely.

Or you could open the app when you need it most… only to find that the Silicon Valley startup that made it has folded and suspended service.

That said, if your phone is working and you can use these apps, you’ll be glad you’ll have them.

Red Cross Family of Apps

This humanitarian organization has been providing relief to American disaster victims for almost 140 years.

But the Red Cross is just as much about prevention as it is relief. That’s why they’ve released their suite of disaster preparedness apps.

There are individual apps designed to help you weather out tornados, hurricanes and earthquakes. Each of these allows you to monitor weather conditions in your local area and track storms. They send you warning notifications, too.

There’s also an all-inclusive “emergency app” that lets you monitor more than 35 different severe weather and emergency alerts. But the shining star of the Red Cross family of apps is their First Aid app.

Most “first aid” apps will just tell you to call 911 and sit tight. But the Red Cross app actually gives you detailed instructions on how to deal with a whole host of emergency situations — everything from asthma attacks and allergies to concussions and bleeding.

What’s more, the app is fast and easy to use, which is vital in an emergency situation.

Now, no app is ever going to beat some good old-fashioned first-aid training. But that’s why the app has a “learning” feature.

If you want, the app will teach you the basics of first aid. That way all the info is in your head and ready to use — no matter what happens to your phone.

FEMA

The FEMA app offers a host of services for before, during and after disasters.

Day to day, the app can help you prepare your emergency kit and make an escape plan for your family. And it will keep you up to date with fast and reliable weather alerts from the National Weather Service.

But it’s during a disaster when this app really shines. The app will map routes to the nearest shelters and disaster resource centers. And these routes will be constantly updated as the crisis develops. If one route is blocked or cut off, the app will find another.

This is built off a feature that allows app users to snap photos of the destruction and upload them to help first responders.

When the dust settles, you can apply for FEMA assistance through the app or head over to DisasterAssistance.gov.

Life360

Life360 is part messaging service, part location app.

Using your phone’s GPS, the app tracks your family’s phones and shows you where they are at all times.

You simply check the map and it will be able to tell you if they’re at work, on their way home or heading to safety.

Life360 can also be used as a messenger so you can stay in constant touch with your family.

Now, to be honest, I have little interest in using this app in my private life.

It might be fine for some folks… but I value my privacy and my family’s privacy too much to install a tracking app on their phones.

That’s obviously a choice that’s up to you and your loved ones. But this app still has some powerful utility in a crisis.

With the app, you’ll know exactly where your family members are, and you’ll be able to stay in touch with them at all times.

Now, there’s no substitute for an emergency plan that’s been prepared in advance — one that can be put into action even without smartphones. But in lieu of that, this app is perfect for coordinating and changing an emergency plan on the fly.

As always, keep sending me those emails. They let me know what you want to read and help me zero in on the most urgent problems we are facing together. Click here to send me one right now.

All the best,

Owen Sullivan
Editor, Money & Crisis

Editor’s note: The strategies you read in Money & Crisis were developed with the help of Jim Rickards, the best-selling author of Currency Wars and The Death of Money.

For a limited time only, Jim is sending readers a FREE copy of his brand-new hardcover book, The Road to Ruin: The Global Elites’ Secret Plan for the Next Financial Crisis.

This shocking account of the next financial crisis reveals one of the biggest threats to your wealth today… and shows you the simple steps you can take to protect your money and your family. Claim your FREE copy now.

The post STAY ALIVE With This Bleeding-Edge Tech (Free) appeared first on Laissez Faire.