By Steve Pike
If you’re looking for some great reading, try Isaac’s Storm by Erik Larson, which tells the story of scientist Isaac Cline, one of the country’s first meteorologists, and the events leading up to the September 1900 hurricane that killed more than 6,000 people in Galveston, Texas, and almost wiped out the barrier island.
Larson writes that before the storm, which would become the deadliest in U.S. history, the nation “was swollen with pride and technological confidence.”
Today’s technology to predict and map hurricanes and severe weather has taken quantum leaps forward since Cline’s time, so as the peak of the 2013 hurricane season approaches, area residents have a plethora of techno options to track potential storms.
Among the best is Storm Shield Weather for iPhones and Android phones. The app can be downloaded from WPTV’s website (www.wptv.com).
“It’s the only app I know that acts like a weather alert radio, sending you the latest NWS severe weather warnings,” said WPTV chief meteorologist Steve Weagle. “It also gives our tweets, the hurricane tracks, seven-day forecast, our radar and other SPC outlooks, too.”
The Palm Beach County Department of Public Safety’s Division of Emergency Management has enhanced the features of its smartphone application. The app is called PBC DART (Palm Beach County Disaster Awareness and Recovery Tool). The app, which launched last year, enables residents to determine whether they reside in an evacuation zone, locate their nearest public shelter, and report damage to their home or business.
Enhancements to the app include:
• Grocery and building supply stores with emergency power
• Gas stations equipped with transfer switches
• Immediate access to Palm Beach County Division of Emergency Management’s Twitter feed
• Disaster supplies kit information
PBC DART is available at no charge from Apple’s iTunes Store or the Google Play app store. For additional information on emergency management programs, visit www.pbcgov.com/dem/.
If you like to watch weather radar, Weather Bug (www.weatherbug.com) has some great interactive maps with radar. It also serves as an early warning system.
Some other quality apps:
• The Weather Channel (www.weather.com) has apps for iPhones, Android phones. Blackberry, Windows Phone, iPad and Kindle Fire. It’s a free app that uses the Weather Channel’s TruPoint technology that provides a forecast within 1.5 miles of the user’s location.
• The American Red Cross has a free app — Hurricane by American Red Cross — for iPhones and Android phones that is among the best available. The app allows the user to monitor conditions in specific neighborhoods, find help and let others know the user is safe even if the power is out. From your mobile phone, call **REDCROSS (**73327677) and get a link to download the hurricane tracking app to an iPhone or Android device. Or you can download them directly from the iTunes and Google Play app stores.
• Hurricane Hound is a free app from Google Play that shows the tracks and forecasts of active hurricanes and tropical storms. It also highlights areas the National Weather Service is watching for possible development. The app, which covers the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific basins, provides access to NWS forecast information, including tropical outlooks and discussions, public advisories, forecasts and satellite imagery.
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