Community Corner

Prepare for and Respond to Emergencies With 'Ready Georgia' Free Mobile App

Georgia is the first state to offer an app for emergency preparedness with capabilities including geo-located weather alerts, customizable emergency plans and live maps of open shelters.

Following research that shows Americans are now increasingly reliant on mobile technology to learn information about disasters, the Georgia Emergency Management Agency/Homeland Security and Georgia Department of Public Health have teamed up to create a special mobile app for both iPhone and Android devices.

The new "Ready Georgia" mobile app debuted this week, offering up-to-the-minute weather and hazard alerts based on a user’s location and customizable emergency preparedness checklists.

Before an emergency, users will be able to make disaster plans for their families and check flood risk levels and historic tornado data near their location, according to a news release. During an emergency, the app will deliver severe weather alerts, show the locations of open Red Cross shelters and provide information on what to do during different types of disasters.

Find out what's happening in Oconeewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The app is also designed to notify users of other emergencies, such as terrorist attacks, infectious diseases or biological threats.

“Diseases spread fast and the need to reach people in real time with life-saving information is more important than ever,” said Brenda Fitzgerald, M.D., Commissioner of DPH, in a released statement. “The 'Ready Georgia' mobile app gives us the ability to instantly deliver potentially life-saving information to almost anyone with a smartphone.”

Find out what's happening in Oconeewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Download the FREE app at http://ready.ga.gov/mobileapp.


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