Red Cross unveils flood app for smartphones

A new smartphone app that could help save lives during floods was unveiled Monday by the American Red Cross in Duluth.
The organization’s Flood App, available for Android phones, iPhones and iPads, offers real-time information about flooding and flash flooding, including safety tips and locations of Red Cross shelters, officials said in a statement.
The free app would tell people what to do and where to go before, during and after a flood, and is available in English and Spanish. Additional features include software that turns the phone into a flashlight, strobe light and audible alarm, and a button that allows users to send an “I’m safe” message to family and friends.
 “Floods are the most common natural disaster in the United States and, following the devastating flash flooding that hit the Northland in 2012, we know a tool like this new app can help here, too,” Dan Williams, community chapter executive of the Northland and North Star Chapters of the American Red Cross said in the statement.
“Today, people can download this free Red Cross app and use it to create emergency plans so that all household members know what to do if flooding threatens.”
The app can be found by going to redcross.org/mobileapps.