SC says this new app can help you during the next disaster. Here’s how

May 30--WEST COLUMBIA, S.C. -- West Columbia, S.C.

The South Carolina Emergency Management Division has two new tools that officials say will allow citizens to better ensure their safety during a disaster.

Emergency preparedness officials on Tuesday unveiled a new website and app that will allow people to be better informed during disasters, including hurricanes and tornadoes.

The website is viewable at scemd.org, and the app is available by searching "SC Emergency Manager" where you download apps.

"What we're hoping is folks really do become their own emergency manager," said Derrec Becker, a spokesperson for SCEMD.

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The new website features a clearer and more navigable homepage with emergency lists that can be downloaded. It also will go into "Emergency Mode" during a large-scale emergency. In emergency mode, the website puts the most critical information front and center on the website.

The new site comes after discussions about revitalizing the SCEMD web presence that started in 2014 following that year's ice storm. The SCEMD did two years worth of research for the new site.

Problems with the number of users on the former website have been solved. Now millions of people can view the page per minute.

The app adds a number of features from the website into a mobile form that officials with the SCEMD emphasized would make emergency preparedness more accessible. The app also comes after much research.

"We took a long look at other types of emergency apps that are out there and found that the one thing that was missing was the ability ... [for users] to put in their own information and get information from us live and in real time," Becker said.

The new app allows users to build emergency plans, keep track of disaster preparedness kits and put together emergency contacts. Officials said these functions can be used to store information on medication needs during an evacuation or to put together what considerations need to be made for pets. Once downloaded, the app can be used without an internet connection.

If an evacuation happens along the coast because of a hurricane or within 10 miles of a nuclear power plant incident, people will be able to find evacuation routes in around six seconds. The location and directions of shelters will be posted in real time during emergencies.

The app also features a function to document damage to homes following a storm or other disaster. Users can utilize that information to prepare a package for their insurance company or to share the information with the emergency division.

Other functions of the app allow users to convert their phone flashlights into strobes that give the Morse code signal for "SOS." The app also allows the phone to create a "very, very, very loud" siren noise. These could be used if a person is lost and needs some kind of locator.

"One of the areas we're always concerned about is citizen preparedness," said SCEDM Director Kim Stenson. "This is only going to help that. A lot of times they're going to be the help until help gets there. That's why it's important to have a plan."

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