Iowa’s seeing a lot of severe weather lately and the Federal Emergency Management Agency now has a free smart phone app to help people deal with it and to potentially save lives. FEMA spokeswoman Brenda Gustafson encourages Iowans to download the mobile app, which includes severe weather alerts.  “There are several different scenarios that are in there to give you what to prepare for, what to do if that disaster actually happens and then what to do afterwards,” Gustafson says. Once you plug in some basic information, the app can be exceptionally helpful in emergency situations.

“The nice thing about this is you can get up to five different counties or areas in the United States,” she says. The FEMA app is free and can be downloaded in your mobile app store.  “Being prepared is what helps save lives in disasters,” Gustafson says. “The more prepared you are, the better for your family, includng your pets.” The app includes information about how to receive federal disaster assistance. It’s also available in Spanish.

(Radio Iowa)