A Great Rookie Year: Red Cross Hurricane App Turns 1

by Sydney Holt, volunteer contributor


The Red Cross Hurricane App turns one year old this month, and to celebrate we’re sharing highlights from its first year of life. With more than 860,000 downloads, this completely free resource has already received major praise being named, “One of the top 6 hurricane tracking apps” by CNN, and “One of 5 apps to get you through a natural disaster” by Fox News – there’s nothing immature about this young App.

While we may not get much use out of it in Dallas-Fort Worth and surrounding areas, we encourage you to get creative when sharing with friends and family who may find themselves in a storm’s path. Below are a few ideas for sharing this important information with those near and dear to you this hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30. 

Tell a joke. While a tropical storm is no laughing matter, sometimes humor makes it easier to let someone know you’re thinking of them. Here’s one of our personal favorites:

Q: What did the hurricane say to the other hurricane?
A:  I have my eye on you. 

Send a text. Smartphone owners average 67 texts per day. Make one of those messages count by letting your contacts know they can download the app by texting **REDCROSS (**73327677) – a downloadable link will be sent directly to them.

Get social. Keep an eye out for updates to the Hurricane App and our other apps by following Red Cross DFW on Facebook and Twitter and be sure to share with your followers. 

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New Red Cross Tornado App Provides Life-Saving Alerts, Safety Information

by Amy Yen, Digital Communications Manager, American Red Cross

The new Red Cross Tornado app
can save lives by sounding a siren
during tornado warnings

Here in the heart of Tornado Alley, we know that a tornado can hit at any time of the day, wherever you are and with little or no warning. That’s why today we are so excited to be introducing our new Tornado App for iOS and Android devices, which will, among other features, sound a siren when a NOAA tornado warning is in effect in your area. 

The siren will go off even if you are not running the app, so the audible alert can save lives because users might not otherwise know of the danger in their area. For example, many tornadoes happen at night, when people are sleeping. The tornadoes that hit the Metroplex last April were in the middle of the day, when many people were at work and not monitoring the news or weather.

The app is designed to give users access to local and real-time information about what to do before, during and after a tornado hits. It’s available in English and Spanish, and is free for iPhone, iPad and Android devices.

Other features include:

• An “all clear!” alert lets users know when a tornado warning has expired or has been cancelled
• A “I’m safe” button to let loved ones and friends know when you’re out of harm’s way
• Simple steps and checklists people can use to create an emergency plan and share it with household members
• Preloaded preparedness content that gives instant access to critical action steps even without mobile connectivity
• Toolkit with a flashlight, a strobe light and an audible alarm
• Locations of open Red Cross shelters
• Badges users can earn through interactive quizzes and share on social networks.

You can download the Tornado App now by searching for Red Cross in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store for Android by searching for American Red Cross or by going to redcross.org/mobileapps. Don’t forget to also check out our other apps: First Aid, Hurricane, Earthquake and Wild Fire. 

Let us know what you think of the app & don't forget to tell your friends in tornado-prone areas to download it!

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