The country has been hit by a series of earthquakes in recent months. PAGASA has also officially announced the start of the rainy season. In the next few months, we can expect typhoons and other weather disturbances to enter Philippine area of responsibility every now and then. What are we doing to keep ourselves and our families safe? One of the most important tools that you can have in the midst of an emergency is a survival kit, and you can now carry around your own survival guide with you through your mobile phone.
In partnership with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and app developer Tudlo, Smart Communications came up with the Batingaw mobile app – a handy mobile guide that educates users on disaster-preparedness and gives them tools that can be used in emergency situations. With the Batingaw app, the mobile phone can be a more powerful addition to the family’s emergency survival kit.
The Batingaw app was designed to aggregate important and timely disaster and emergency preparedness updates from government agencies and citizens. With the built-in tools, the app can let you do all these and more:
- Knowwhat to do to prepare for and survive disasters like flood, earthquake, fire, tsunami, cyclone, and more.
- Set off a siren to alert and call the attention of your family or community.
- Let family and friends know that you are safe by simply pressing the “I Am Safe” button.
- Use your phone as a flashlight.
- Get to your designated meeting place or evacuation site through a compass.
- Be easily tracked or easily call the attention of responders through a strobe light.
- Get reliable information from authorized government sources.
Now, we can boost our disaster preparedness with just a few taps on our smart devices. Download Batingaw for free by searching the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, or going to bit.ly/Batingaw-Android or bit.ly/Batingaw-iOS.