Zello app for hurricane11/8/2022 ![]() ![]() I was having trouble reading my own handwriting at times. ![]() That quickly turned into chaotic scribbles. I started out taking notes nice and neat on printer paper. Pretty quickly, I moved to my dining room table, plugged in my computer and phone and poured a huge glass of iced tea. I was originally just sitting up in bed with my laptop on my lap, phone in hand and a notepad on my nightstand. In the time I could enter one request, three more would come in. I would listen to the request, write down their info and start typing it in. They were coming in faster than I could type them into the website data bank. I took several more calls and quickly realized there was no way I could call to verify every request. The local authorities were doing the best they could, but they were far outnumbered and also unable to get to everyone in the treacherous conditions. It was gut-wrenching to hear so many calls coming in and having to tell them there was nothing we could do until the storm calmed down a little. They were begging to be let in the water, but the Coast Guard understandably wouldn't grant them permission because the storm was just too strong. READ ALSO: Flooding causes sinkhole on Beltway 8 frontage roadīy this time, Cajun Navy rescuers had begun arriving in Port Arthur. I assured here we would get someone to her as soon as we could and told her to stay safe. The water was almost to the counter tops. Karen was in a house in Port Arthur, sitting on her kitchen cabinet with seven other adults, two teenagers and a newborn. Within minutes, I was on the phone with Karen. Despicable.Īfter I received each request and had called the person making the request, I was to log their information on a designated website, let the requester know the ID number they'd been assigned and move on to the next call. Unfortunately, there had been reports of people calling in fake rescue requests and then robbing the volunteers when they arrived. ![]() I GOT a two-minute "training" session and a "good luck!" One of the key suggestions of the training session was that when I received a rescue request, I needed to try to call the person making the request if possible to get more details and to ensure that it was a legitimate request. #Zello app for hurricane how toREAD ALSO: How to get around Houston's horrible traffic jams after Harvey I timidly pushed the "talk" button and said, "I can." They asked if there was anyone who could work through the night to keep taking rescue requests and log them. At one point, she said something that made me realize she's a nurse, so I immediately understood why she was so effective in this situation.Ī couple of other women (who were working from other parts of the country, not Houston) who had been taking calls from victims and logging in the information came on the line around 12:30 and said they had to sign off so they could get to bed. One in particular, Brittney, was giving directions, taking rescue requests, and prioritizing calls and rescues. None of the volunteer rescuers had made it to that area from Houston, but as soon as the calls started coming in, they were moving out, driving as fast as they could into the middle of Harvey.Īs I was listening, I quickly figured out that there were a few moderators on the app that were in charge and very experienced in using this method of communication during emergencies. 1 app onlineĬall after call from citizens saying they were trapped in their houses and needed boat rescue. Still, with traditional communications systems threatened by the storm, Zello stands to play a critical role once again as Irma makes its approach toward Florida.ZELLO: Hurricane Irma just made a digital walkie-talkie the No. "We’re not Google, we’re not the National Weather Service," one administrator told the group after a number of requests for weather updates. The South Florida group, for instance, seemed to contain a mixture of useful information and chaos Saturday evening. "With the crush of new users and emergency situations, most of the Zello team is working long days either maintaining capacity or helping with customer support," Moore said.Īs Zello's usage grows, it risks getting overloaded and becoming less useful to rescuers. The app is supporting a few massive groups dedicated to Irma relief, including the 1,800+ member South Florida Hurricane Irma channel. #Zello app for hurricane freeZello has added six million new registered users since Monday, the company's CEO, Bill Moore, told BuzzFeed News, and is now the top free app on the iOS App Store. And people in the path of Irma seem to believe they can put the app to similar uses in this storm too. When Harvey caused widespread devastation in and around Houston, volunteers leaned on Zello to coordinate search and rescue efforts. Zello is used almost exactly like a walkie talkie, except it relies on wifi and cell service, so it can support big groups of people in dispersed locations. ![]()
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