Mobile technology and software has advanced enough that it’s a force multiplier for preppers. We should take advantage of this as much as possible, given that we can have a massive amount of information at our fingertips.

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Mobile Apps for Preppers – What to keep on your mobile devices

Notes for this section:

• First, keep in mind that I use iOS devices and have no idea how many of these are available on other platforms, like Android. However, I suspect that a good number of these are available in the Android platform, or something closely related.
• Secondly, though I will be talking about specific apps, it doesn’t mean that these are the only apps available.  There are literally millions of apps to choose from, and you need to find the ones that work for you.
• Free apps are nice, but sometimes you gotta pay for quality.
• Have more than one app that accesses the same type of information, in case one stops working.
• My workflow isn’t your workflow. Consider these suggestions and find what works best for you.
• Make point about having to use these apps to find out which will give you the best info.
  • Roll them into your Grid Down test, where all the info you have to access is what’s in your phone.
  • Try simulating different information needs, like injuries, illnesses and survival info.
  • Get your info from these apps on a daily basis, so you know how they work and can use them to their best effectiveness.
  • Using Social Media to stay informed on conditions. Tap into the city or town, county and state, as well as police, fire, EMS and emergency services social networks.
• Types of apps:
  • Those that allow you to access current information – require a data connection
  • Those that store pre-loaded info, like first-aid and survival apps.
  • Those that can store your information.  Evernote, DevonThink, Awesome Note, etc.
• Buying Apps
  • Preferably, there is a free or ‘lite’ version that you can try before committing with payment.
  • You need to try these apps out before relying in them. Some are complete garbage. In most cases, you should get to know these apps very well, so that when it comes time to access data, you’ll know which app you need to use for a particular data set.
  • For those apps that you might be needing in a disaster, make sure they don’t need a data connection to access the information.
  • If you’re on Android, I have to warn you to be careful on what you download. There’s no gatekeeper with these apps. I know that some people like that, but it’s also a serious security risk.
  • Check out when the last update was. If it wasn’t recent, there’s a good chance that it’s a “zombie” app, meaning that there won’t be any more updates.
  • Be wary of apps that are charging for public domain information. For example, you can get the Army Survival Manual 21-76 for free as an app, which is fine. But you can also get it as a PDF and upload it to your device and read it with any number of apps, including being able to search the text.
  • There is a surprising number of apps that are free. Before spending money on the “military field guide to edible plants,” try searching for a field guide that has the same information.
    • Additionally, don’t buy an app when you can either use a PDF or an ebook on the same topic.
    • Spending some time collecting information on the Internet of the topic you’re interested in, compiling the data and creating a PDF of it and sending to your device is another way you can save some $bucks.
• A Listing of Useful Apps – Those marked with a * have also been found in Google Play.
  • News Apps: All need a data connection
    • Local news
    • Nationwide news
      • CNN*
      • Fox News*
      • USA Today*
    • Worldwide news
      • BBC*
  • News Aggregators: All need a data connection
    • Google Reader – Available on Android, not iOS, but there are other apps that will use your Google Reader account, like Flipboard.
    • Flipboard*
    • News360*
    • NetNewsWire
  • Weather Apps: All need a data connection
    • AccuWeather*
    • Intellicast
    • MyRadar Weather Radar*
    • NOAA Radar US
    • The Weather Channel*
    • Weather Underground*
    • WeatherBug*
    • US Weather Maps by EZ Apps Inc.
      • http://www.ollapp.com/app/us-weather-maps/android
      • While most of the other weather apps all provide the same type of info, this app is different.
      • It will show you actual weather maps, like those we used to see that had fronts on them and such.
      • I find this useful when I’m trying to make my own forecasts on what type of weather is coming.
      • Additionally, it has other maps that allow you to see what the weather is forecasted to be now, in +6 hours, +12 hours, and so on.
      • These maps can be far easier to interpret than the overly simplified versions in other apps.
      • You will also find maps for dew points and humidity, as well as winds and severe weather outlook.
      • One very nice feature of this app is that you can add map URLs to it and load them as well.
      • This makes this app particularly useful, as I have loaded a wind profile map into it, which would give me a very good indication of where airborne contaminants are going to go, like radioactive fallout.
      • Here’s how to do this:
        • Go to wunderground.com
        • Find your location and pull up the radar.
        • Just above the radar image, you should see a button that says, “Select Radar Type.” Click this.
        • At the bottom of the selections, you’ll see on called, “Velocity Azimuth Display Wind Profile.” Select this.
        • This maps gives you a cross section of the wind direction and speed up to 40,000 feet. Even if you’re not familiar with wind barbs, you should be able to figure out what the wind plot is telling from studying the map for a while. In a nutshell, up is north, down is south, and the wind speed is represented by the flag on the barb.
        • This map will give you the past 90 minutes of wind plots, which allows you to not only see what the current wind direction is, but also what it was, allowing you to make educated guesses on what it will be for the next few hours.
        • To put this into the US Weather Maps app, click on the link below the radar image that says, “View / Save This Image.” This will open the plot in the webpage. Copy the URL and email it to your device. When the URL is on your device, you can edit the Maps list and add that map URL.  Label it Fallout Winds Map, and you’ll remember why you have it.
        • Now, if you even need to track the radioactive plume from a dirty bomb or nuclear explosion, you’ll be able to get a really good idea if it’s headed your way based on this wind data.
  • Government / NGO Apps: All need a data connection
    • FEMA* (some offline capability)
      • Find shelters, learn what to do before, during after disasters, build kits, etc.
      • Additionally, you can apply for assistance, check out maps of recovery centers, and find access to their blogs and social sites.
    • Shelter by ARC
      • Find open Red Cross Shelters.
  • First-aid / Medical Apps:
    • First Aid by ARC* (offline capable – including videos)
    • iTriage* (some offline capability)
    • The Merck Manual – Home edition (offline capable)
      • Home edition not available on Android, though the full edition is available. It’s more money and the reviews for it stink.
      • At $10, this is one of the more expensive apps I have, but I think it’s money well spent.
      • WebMD* (some offline capability)
  • Survival Info Apps:
    • 3D Sun* – This is the app where I get my solar flare and CME alerts from.
    • Earthquake by American Red Cross*
      • Some offline capability.
      • Nice feature is that you can tie it into your Facebook, Twitter, Text and Email and have it send out a message to all of those.
      • It contains a feature to brighten the screen as a flashlight, and an audible alarm to attract attention.
      • If there’s a data connection, it can locate shelters and tell you of recent EQ activity.
      • It also has info on how to plan and make a kit for EQs. Learn what to do before, during after disasters, build kits, etc.
      • It will link to the ARC first aid app.
      • It’s not particularly good at showing you what EQs have occurred.
    • Epicentral
    • Hurricane by ARC* – nearly identical as Earthquake.
    • iHurricane HD* by HurricaneSoftware.com
    • iRPG* – Incident Response Pocket Guide, Wildland Firefighter References
      • Not an especially useful app if you’re not a wildland firefighter. However, there is some information in it that you could glean from it.
    • Knots 3D*
    • QuakeInfo
    • Survival Guide* – The FM 21-76 Army survival guide.
    • wikiHow: How To and DIY Survival Kit
      • This isn’t just information about survival, though there is a lot of that in here.  The basic premise of this app is to teach you how to do a bunch of things in a wide variety of topics.  I think it’s free, so worth the download.
    • Wildfire by ARC* – nearly identical as Earthquake.
    • WISER* for iOS – National Library of Medicine
      • This is particularly useful to first responders and EMS personnel, but it contains a lot of info about chemicals and substances. In addition to chemicals and related substances, it also contains info on NBC agents.  The newer version includes a mapping plot that shows the initial evacuation area.
    • Disaster Alert* by Pacific Disaster Center.
  • Note Taking and File Retrieval Apps:
    • 1Password* (android app has limited function at this time)
    • Awesome Note
    • DevonThink To Go
    • Documents by Readdle
    • Evernote*
    • File Manager Pro
    • GoodReader – a good example of a multi-function app!
    • MacJournal
    • Skitch*
    • Your Plan – This has checklists for various kits and grab lists, or you can create your own.
  • Cloud Storage Apps: All need a data connection
    • BitCasa*
    • Dropbox*
    • Google Drive*
    • SkyDrive*
  • Mapping / GPS / Compass / Geo-Location Apps:
    • AroundMe*
    • Avenza PDF Maps
    • City Maps 2Go*
    • Commander Compass* – looks like the same app, but slightly different.
    • Gas Buddy*
    • Google Earth*
    • Google Maps*
    • MyTopo Maps by Trimble*
    • Theodolite
    • Topo Maps (for iPad)
  • Calculator Apps:
    • Basic calculator
    • Converter Plus, Unit Converter (tons of other conversion apps)
    • Magical Calculator Pro
      • This is a calculator app that allows you to set up specific
    • Ohm’s Law – similar Android apps exist
    • WolframAlpha*
  • Social Apps: All need a data connection
    • Facebook*
    • Twitter*
  • Health and Fitness:
    • HealthMap: Outbreaks Near Me* – a way to keep track of outbreaks near you and across the country.
    • Lose It!*
    • RunKeeper*
  • Misc Apps:
    • Banking / PayPal
    • US Constitution*
    • Flashlight*
    • iBooks, Kindle*, Nook*, Colossal Short Stories Collection
    • Uber* – an on-demand request tool for a private driver
    • iGeiger – a rate meter program that will count the clicks and give you a CPM (clicks per minute) reading. Handy for using with radiation meters that make noise, have a meter, but no display for CPM.
    • iHeartRadio*
    • Dictionary apps* – Dictionary.com, Merriam Webster
    • Radio Scanning
    • Wunder Radio*
    • Skype* – texting, audio, video
    • Find My iPhone – If you have iOS devices, you need to be using this app. If you lose your device, you can lock it, or wipe it, and protect your data from getting into the wrong hands.
  • Food Storage Apps:
    • Unfortunately, I haven’t been using any pantry apps, so I don’t have any long term experience with them.
    • There are other apps for this on both platforms, most of which are either free or have trial versions.
    • I looked at a bunch of them and found that the Prep and Pantry seems like a pretty decent app.
      • You can scan barcodes, which makes it fast and easy to do an inventory. If the item isn’t found, you can enter in the barcode manually once, and then you’ll be able to scan it next time. This allows for you to make you own barcodes with a printer and scan them with this app.  According to their website, prepandpantry.com, an Android version is expected. There’s a ‘lite’ version of this, which will allow you to test it first.

Last updated by Rob Hanus at February 14, 2013.