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TECH Hurricane Season is Back Don't worry, there's an app for that Words by Craig Agranoff Living in South Florida, we're all well aware of hurricane season's entrance every year. This year, though, you can use your smart phone to stay informed, find out what to do in an emergency, and otherwise be on top of things when the storm comes. Who knows? Your phone might even save your life. Here are some of the best and most useful apps for hurricane preparedness and response. Weather Channel App Obviously, if you don't know that the storm is coming, then you won't be prepared for it. So, we turn to America's standby for weather information, the Weather Channel. Their iPhone application offers weather-related alerts you can customize to let you know immediately when severe weather is expected for your home area (by ZIP code) and for wherever you happen to be right now (via your phone's GPS). You can view video of radar, forecasts, and a lot more. iMapWeather Radio Receive either voice or text alerts to weather coming to your area. This app uses your current location and gives you current weather (daily forecasts) and storm warnings or severe weather alerts, as they happen. The storm warnings are pop-ups on your iPhone screen that can be triggered to be announced in voice format, if you wish, which is a cool feature. iMapWeather also has an advanced radar app for forecasting and tracking. DisasterAssistance.gov Although this is not really an application, this website has a lot of great preparedness information. If you want to be ready for the hurricane before it arrives, this site can get you started. Download the Are You Ready? PDF to your phone to get started. Their site is mobile-friendly. Emergency Supply List This is an app that walks you through getting your emergency supplies ready so that you can be prepared for hurricane season. It lists the items your emergency kit should contain and checks them off as you add them. There are 90 items in all, ranging from simple things like toilet paper to the more complex , such as signal flares and tools for shutting off your utilities. It's currently on sale in the iTunes Store for $0.99. Hurricane HD Got an iPad? Then Hurricane HD might be your storm tracker of choice. This cool app utilizes the larger, high-intensity screen of the iPad to show you weather maps, storm tracking in various formats, and up-to-the-minute weather data. The Hi-Def maps and screens are nicely done and the app allows you to store and manipulate some data so that you can track specific storms, areas of the ocean/beaches, etc. Red Cross Shelter View and Safe & Well Shelter View is a free app from the American Red Cross that allows you to view currently open and active shelters. You can get directions and maps to find them from wherever you are currently located as well as information on what type of shelter it is (evacuation, storm, etc.) and what its capacity is. It works nation- wide, but the local Florida-based Red Cross chapters are all included. To go along with this app, you can register with the Red Cross' Safe & Well program and send alerts to Twitter, Facebook and text lists to let your friends and family (wherever they may be) know that you're OK. These are some great apps that can help you be prepared for the 2011 hurricane season. Definitely worth the downloads. ML MIAMI LIVING 57