As I sit here feeling helpless and far away as many of my favorite places, people and farm animals (at By Pond Farm) are being hammered by Hurricane Sandy, I was happy to find a helpful article on 5 apps that can help turn your smart phone into an emergency kit from Mashable. (And these are all good suggestions for the next storm or emergency situation if this is too little, too late!)
> To keep your eye on Sandy’s path, download the Hurricane Tracker app. It delivers the latest forecasts and National Hurricane Center data on the storm’s path right to your iPhone. Also included: relevant Twitter feeds from storm centers, meteorologists and others.
> Download iMap Weather Radio, an iOS and Android app which either tracks your location or follows a set of locations you select. If a weather alert is issued for where you are, the app will automatically alert you. It’ll also let you tune in to local weather television broadcasts.
> For drafting an emergency plan before the storm strikes, download the Insurance Institute’s Your Plan app. You can use it to figure out what to pack in an emergency “go” kit, store contact numbers, figure out where to go and how to get there.
> The Red Cross has a feature-packed and useful Hurricane app: It tracks weather information, it lets you broadcast an “I’m safe” message to friends and family with one button, and, if you need to evacuate your home, it maps the nearest Red Cross shelter. It also has a list of steps to take in case of an emergency.
> Finally, every emergency preparedness kit should have a flashlight — make sure the batteries are fresh and you know where to find them in your home. But for a quick backup solution, download a Flashlight app to turn your phone’s camera flash into a solid beam of light. Try this free Flashlight app.
I also found a few great links on post storm travel: Booking Winter Flights? Five Lessons Learned from Hurricane Sandy from Conde Nast Traveler and What Airlines are Doing Right and Wrong from the Cranky Flier.
I LOVE New York Mouth. (Never heard of them? Their goal is to help you find the best, most delicious and most interesting indie food products and to help indie makers grow their businesses – how cool is that?) They are running some great promotions this week to help after the storm! All NYC-centric gift bags are on sale through the end of the week and they will donate a portion of the proceeds to food-related local charities, City Harvest and Citymeals-on-Wheels. They will surely need extra resources in the weeks to come. You can do even more by donating to them through NY Mouth and they will match your donation.
And speaking of food to help small business in NYC, check out this Gilt City deal on Butter Lane Cupcakes, baking class or “grand tasting”.
I must say, my heart is not in the deals today so I am going to skip the rest of them. I leave you with the hope that you and yours (and mine!) are safe and sound and that Sandy moves away quickly. I also leave you with some great advice from Newark mayor Cory Booker:
