Your phone can help keep you safe in an emergency

We've made a lot of progress in science and technology, but we're far from stopping or changing the course of natural calamities like hurricanes, forest fires, tornadoes, and flash floods. What we can do is anticipate them and mitigate their impact. Your phone is a handy tool that you can use to prepare for emergency weather events. Here are some tips on how you can use your phone to prepare for inclement weather.

At the bare minimum, having a great weather app can save you from getting drenched in the rain and prepare you for upcoming storms. There are a bunch of great ones to choose from–we've made a list of the best weather apps. But remember that these apps get their data from different sources, so their accuracy can vary slightly across regions; it's best to them out beforehand.

It's also a great idea to tune into your local weather station on TV or radio, as they can offer localized alerts and recommendations that are more helpful than alerts sent by a regular weather app. If you want to catch these channels on your Android, check out Local Now or Pluto TV.

Now let's dive deeper into how you can prepare for specific weather events.

Apart from the apps mentioned above, here are a few others that are certainly handy to have during emergency events.

The First Aid app from the ARC is a one-stop shop for all your first aid needs. There's a possibility that you might have to deal with a medical emergency, and this app will guide you through the steps you need to follow to avoid any untoward event. The American Red Cross also has dedicated apps for weather events like hurricanes and tornadoes, but you're better off using their help webpage, which has a better interface and isn't as clunky.

Zello is a long-range walkie-talkie app that can be useful in an emergency weather situation as it works on a proprietary low-latency push-to-talk protocol that can make do even with a 2G connection. It offers live voice, alerts, text messages, and locations, and you can even create private or public channels that can prove to be a boon during relief efforts.

When the weather gets bad, it's only natural to worry about the safety and well-being of your family and friends. Life360 lets you keep tabs on their locations using GPS, so you know where to find them. It also offers additional features like messaging and crash detection alerts.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency app sends emergency alerts for up to five custom locations–handy if your family and friends are spread across the country. It also has a lot of safety tips and resources to help before, during, and after severe weather events, and can help locate FEMA shelters and local disaster recovery centers.

Everything you've read so far won't help much if your phone conks off or doesn't have any juice remaining. To ensure that your phone's up and running when you need it the most, here are a few gadgets and accessories you should consider buying.

Not all phones are made to stand elements of nature, and even those that are can fail after a long dip. The last thing you want during bad weather is a dead phone. To prevent such situations, get this waterproof case that will protect your phone from damage without hampering usability.

You should be prepared for electricity cuts in case of storms or tornadoes. This rugged power bank is a dependable fallback, with its large 20,000mAh capacity, flashlight, and ability to charge up to four devices simultaneously. It's also assuring to know that it's IPX5 water-resistant and can charge with the solar panel on its back.

While a power bank is a great appliance to rely on, it indeed can't run a lot of gadgets and not for long enough. If you live in an area that has frequent power outages, a portable power station like the Jackery Explorer 300 is a convenient appliance to rely on. It boasts a 293Wh battery, has USB ports, a couple of wall outlets, and even a car outlet to run small appliances. You can also hook it up with a solar panel (not included) to charge it.

Prasham Parikh is a freelancer at Android Police, and you can catch him writing how-to guides, features, and reviews on smartphones or pretty much anything that has a battery in it. His love for technology began with the Nokias and the Sony Ericsons of the early 2000s, and he hasn’t looked back since. He’s been the go-to guy in his circle for advice on smartphones, laptops, and gadgets in general—he regrets not sharing affiliate links as often, though. His first stint as a writer was for India’s leading tech magazine — The Digit — but he got his first true experience in tech journalism writing for and managing a small tech blog, EOTO.tech. He then went on to write and produce for Mashable India, where he penned over a thousand articles, reviews, opinions, and in-depth features and hosted and scripted several YouTube videos. Prasham hails from Mumbai but recently moved to Atlanta after graduating from Duke University with a Master’s degree in Quantitative Management. The gadgets he currently uses on a daily basis are the Google Pixel 6, Oppo Watch, Sony WH-1000XM4s, the MacBook Pro, and the Onyx Boox Nova Air. When he’s not spending time writing or ogling new tech, he’s probably playing NBA 2K or watching a true crime documentary. Once in a while, he even digs out his trusty ol’ Gameboy Advanced SP to play the best game ever made: Pokemon Leaf Green.