The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced yesterday that it has updated its mobile app\u2014in English and Spanish\u2014to give users increased personalization options and help them take charge of disasters. <\/p>\n
Driven by critical customer feedback, this is the mobile app\u2019s largest update in the last 10 years and demonstrates FEMA\u2019s continued commitment to meeting people where they are by providing the resources they need in a user-friendly way.<\/p>\n
\u201cFEMA is committed to providing families with the tools and information they need to keep themselves and their loved ones safe from disasters,\u201d said FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell. \u201cBy advancing our mobile app technology, we are better helping communities plan, protect and recover from disasters through clear,\u00a0effective and relatable communication.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The original FEMA app gave users a reference guide of information to pull from and basic alert features. The new app will allow users to customize what they see in the app in order to receive information most relevant to their user preferences and location. Another innovative feature of this revamp is a Recover section that helps disaster survivors understand federal disaster declarations in their area and get answers to common questions about the assistance application process. Together, these new features help users better prepare for, protect against and recover from disasters.<\/p>\n
The app\u2019s redesign has been rooted in the customer experience and user feedback, with increased accessibility integrated into the development process to ensure this new version was also user friendly for people with disabilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt FEMA, we\u2019re constantly striving to make our information as approachable as possible,\u201d said FEMA Digital Engagement & Analytics Branch chief Gloria Huang. \u201cThis latest update is a big step forward, but not the end of our progress. We\u2019ll continue taking user feedback and technological advances to improve app functionality. This information empowers people to make informed decisions about their preparedness and response to disasters.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to all-new features like disaster declaration notifications and frequently asked questions on assistance applications, popular features such as weather alerts, emergency shelter locations and disaster recovery center information will be included in this update but with an entirely new, user-friendly look and feel. Preparedness information on the FEMA app has also been completely re-worked to make it easier to understand, and this latest version will present interactive preparedness information grouped by topic.<\/p>\n
The app is available for download on\u00a0iOS\u00a0or\u00a0Android. Current users will need to update their app and enter profile information but will not need to re-download it to access new features. Watch our\u00a0FEMA App video\u00a0and visit the\u00a0FEMA App webpage\u00a0for additional information.<\/p>\n
Furthering FEMA\u2019s commitment to providing accessible disaster information, the agency also updated its Text-to-Shelter feature this year. Users can now text \u201cshelter\u201d and their ZIP code to 43362 to get a list of nearby shelter locations. During disasters, it is important to follow instructions given by local and state officials, as they may share additional sheltering options. (PR)<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced yesterday that it has updated its mobile app\u2014in English…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":371936,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[493],"class_list":["post-371935","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news","tag-fema"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/371935","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=371935"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/371935\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/371936"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=371935"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=371935"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=371935"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}