FLASH Unveils New Mitigation and Preparedness Smartphone App at 2013 National Hurricane Conference

App provides peril-based mitigation and preparedness tools and weather forecasting functions with the added value of NOAA weather radio technology.

As the National Hurricane Conference kicks off in New Orleans today; FLASH released “FLASH Weather Alerts” the first-ever precision, severe weather alert smartphone app that includes home mitigation and family preparedness information, videos and consumer support in English and Spanish.  The app combines bilingual preparedness and mitigation content with the powerful performance of a GPS, precision text – to – speech severe weather warnings.  Users can choose only one, or up to 100 alert options from flood, hurricane and tornado to wildfire and more.

Weather Features of FLASH Weather Alerts:

• Local weather forecasts for seven days including hourly updates with temperature, precipitation and humidity
• Severe weather alerts for up to six saved locations in the United States
• Location-based alerting using smartphone GPS and local cellular towers to pinpoint locations making alerts more precise, reducing false alerts
• Built in radar maps with animation, watch/warning boxes and hurricane cone of probability provide additional information for alerted users
• Exclusive live video streaming from the National Hurricane Center and local television affiliates (where available) providing connectivity if cable, satellite or local TV is unavailable.
• Devices automatically wake up when alerts are issued and text to speech feature speaks the alert to the user (preserves safety while driving)
• Customizable alerts with more than 100 severe weather hazards including:
  • Floods and flash flood
  • Hurricane watches and warnings
  • Lightning (coming soon)
  • Marine advisories
  • Severe thunderstorm
  • Tornado
  • Wildfires
  • Winter weather alerts and more

Mitigation and Preparedness Features of FLASH Weather Alerts:

• Mitigation resources put information to make homes stronger and families safer in the palm of the user’s hand – in English and Spanish
• Follow disaster safety discussions on FLASH Facebook and Twitter
• “Current News” feed provides event-driven preparedness/mitigation tips as severe events unfold
• Season-specific mitigation/preparedness information reaches users when they need it most

All app features are included in the one-time price of $7.99 and will not require any additional in app purchases.  FLASH Weather Alerts is now available from the Apple AppStore and Google Play store for a reduced cost of $4.99 through Friday, March 29, 2013.

For more information visit  www.flashweatheralerts.org.