Targeted warnings direct to your cell phone during Civil Defence events

As of this week, the Canterbury Civil Defence Emergency Management Group and Canterbury councils – from Kaikōura down to Waimate – started using the Red Cross Hazard app, which provides alerts during, and after, emergency situations to help people survive.

Canterbury residents can now receive Civil Defence alerts straight to their cellphones.

Regional controller Neville Reilly said the hazard app can target by geographic location so users would get relevant alerts only. If enabled, it also monitored your location so if you were travelling it would provide relevant alerts.

“As we all know too well, disaster can strike at any time,” he said. “This app will help us get warnings out to the public quickly. For example, if there is a tsunami warning then it’ll let you know this and then take you to some information on what to do next.”

“The ultimate aim of this app is to help save lives and quick calls to action are key to doing so,” he said. “This is just another way to get alerts out. It doesn’t replace current systems, rather it complements them.

For example, if you’re near the coast and you feel long or strong shaking then don’t wait for a tsunami siren or an alert before you move.”

“While there are several agencies using it, you can control what alerts you do receive. For example, you can opt in or out of MetService alerts.”

All 15 mainland CDEM groups should have adopted the app by the end of this year. It’s already active in Auckland and Wellington.

The Hazard App was developed for New Zealand Red Cross as part of a global project by the Red Cross’ Global Disaster Preparedness Centre in United States.

More information about the app can be found at New Zealand Red Cross.

You can download the app at Apple App Store or Google Play Store here.

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