The “Ready Winneshiek County” app launched in early September and provides residents of Winneshiek County with critical information to help them prepare for, respond to and recover from local emergencies and disasters. Users can access up-to-the-minute news, maps, videos, digital guides and more, and use a “Make Your Plan” module to build an emergency disaster plan tailored to their family’s specific needs.
Every second counts
Winneshiek County Emergency Management Coordinator Sean Snyder posted the availability of the app on the Emergency Management Facebook page, reiterating that communication with county residents during an emergency is paramount to any disaster situation.
The biggest problem when every second counts is being able to communicate quickly with a large group of people in diverse areas of the county.
Introducing the “Ready Winneshiek County” app. The app is available for free on both Apple and Android-based smartphones. Simply search for “Ready Winneshiek County” in Google Play or the App Store, download the app and follow the few initial instructions as prompted. That’s it…you’re all set for instant emergency communications.
For instance, did you know Winneshiek, Allamakee, Howard, Chickasaw and Fayette Counties are currently under an open burn ban due to the lack of rain this season? If you had the Ready Winneshiek County, you’d know!
The Ready Winneshiek County app is a countywide resource tool. Inside the app you will find links to Winneshiek County departmental websites, social media pages, and folders for each municipality here in Winneshiek County.
Snyder posted, “Did I mention there is also a really nice mapping tool to help you find locations within the county? This app also has a “news” section that, when enabled will allow for push notifications for countywide events, information and more.”
Ready Winneshiek County can also be a tool for personal emergency preparedness by the app user. It allows the user to develop their own individual preparedness plan for their particular location, specific threats and resources that pertain to themselves or their family.
The app offers short preparedness videos for some common disaster occurrences, such as lightning, severe weather and so on to learn how to respond with best practices. The app has just recently launched but Snyder stated, “I will continue to grow this app with more and more information. Please reach out with your communication suggestions by Facebook message, e-mail or give us a call. I am more than happy to try and incorporate all that I can as the app allows.”
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