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“Just-in-Time” Personal Preparedness: Downloads and Usage Patterns of the American Red Cross Hurricane Application During Hurricane Sandy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 June 2016

Thomas D. Kirsch ,
Ryan Circh ,
Richard A. Bissell  and
Matthew Goldfeder
Thomas D. Kirsch*
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
Ryan Circh
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
Richard A. Bissell
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Health Services, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland
Matthew Goldfeder
Affiliation:
American Red Cross, Washington, DC.
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Thomas Kirsch, Department of Emergency Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 1830 E Monument St, Baltimore, MD 21286 (e-mail: tkirsh1@jhmi.edu).
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Abstract

Objective

Personal preparedness is a core activity but has been found to be frequently inadequate. Smart phone applications have many uses for the public, including preparedness. In 2012 the American Red Cross began releasing “disaster” apps for family preparedness and recovery. The Hurricane App was widely used during Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

Methods

Patterns of download of the application were analyzed by using a download tracking tool by the American Red Cross and Google Analytics. Specific variables included date, time, and location of individual downloads; number of page visits and views; and average time spent on pages.

Results

As Hurricane Sandy approached in late October, daily downloads peaked at 152,258 on the day of landfall and by mid-November reached 697,585. Total page views began increasing on October 25 with over 4,000,000 page views during landfall compared to 3.7 million the first 3 weeks of October with a 43,980% increase in views of the “Right Before” page and a 76,275% increase in views of the “During” page.

Conclusions

The Hurricane App offered a new type of “just-in-time” training that reached tens of thousands of families in areas affected by Hurricane Sandy. The app allowed these families to access real-time information before and after the storm to help them prepare and recover. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;page 1 of 6)

Keywords

computer applications softwaredisaster medicinedisaster planningemergency preparedness
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 10 , Issue 5 , October 2016 , pp. 762 - 767
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2016 

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