As hurricane season gets into full swing, Federation residents now have a new mobile application (app) that provides them with a myriad of useful tools and information for dealing with any storms, or other disasters, that affect St. Kitts and Nevis. On Tuesday (July 22), the Nevis Disaster Management Department (NDMD) unveiled its “Mobile App for Smartphones and Tablets”at a ceremony at the Emergency Operations Center at Long Point. Participating in the presentation were the Hon. Premier and Nevis Disaster Management Committee Chairman Vance Amory, NDMD Director Lester Blackett, Director of Government Information Services Huey Sargeant, Nevis Emergency Management Agency District Coordinator Telca Wallace, and Mario Phillips of Caribbean Cable Communications. Once it is activated, the application will be available for free to Federation residents from Apple, Amazon and Google. Caribbean Cable Communications is sponsoring the app, allowing it to be made available for free. According to Mr. Blackett, the app is currently a “Web app”only at the url/address of http://ndmd.mobapp.at . The app can be accessed and used via that address for smartphones and tablets and an icon can be created for its continued use. However, he added, it should not be downloaded yet because the NDMD is in the process of uploading the app to the application stores at Amazon, Google and Apple. Mr. Blackett, designer of the application, said the app would be available for download within two weeks. “This application makes hurricane and disaster-related information available on mobile phones and other mobile devices whenever people want it,’said Huey Sargeant, director of the Nevis Government Information Service. In a discussion about the app’s capabilities, Mr. Blackett pointed out that the app is a first for St. Kitts and Nevis, and indicated it was unique for any government organization in the Caribbean. “This application will provide information to people on the go, whether they are at home, at work or doing any activity. When they need to access information across the Caribbean, they can use this app to see radar images, send an email to the NDMD, call us, check on flooding, locate shelters (www.nevisdm.com/shelter_google_map.html), track storms, find emergency phone numbers for police and fire departments, and a number of other useful functions.”The application even has educational disaster-related games for children. Premier Vance Amory, minister responsible for disaster management and chairman of the Nevis Disaster Management Committee, praised the government-private partnership that is allowing the application to be made available for free to residents. “This is a significant initiative under Mr. Blackett,”Mr. Amory said, “given the susceptibility of the Caribbean to storms and other types of events. It can have tremendous economic and social impacts, providing real-time data and forecasts so important to warn us and prepare. “It allows inquiries to the NDMD from the public,”he added, “provides shelter maps and locations, satellite and radar images, emergency numbers, tsunami information, ferry and airline schedules. It also offers live radio broadcasts, as well as information about what to do before, during and after any disaster. This application will make a big difference in our emergency preparedness and outreach.”The application is the first mobile app created within the Nevis Island Administration. Unique features include the immediate update capability for events like floods or hurricanes, as well as the ability to send out alerts and notifications to persons in a defined area or location. To learn more, go to the NDMD website at Website: www.nevisdm.com SIDEBAR (in box-let’s run this box every week during hurricane season): Emergency numbers Disaster management NDMD (Nevis) 869-469-1423 Water Dept 869-665-9061/763-5319 NEVLEC 869-763-9100 NEMA (St. Kitts) 869-466-5100 Police and Fire Emergency 911 Charlestown Police 8694695391/2 Gingerland Police 869-469-3448 Newcastle Police 869-469-9326 Cotton Ground Police 869-469-5269 Charlestown Fire 869-469-3444 V.W.A. Airport Fire 869-469-8606 SK Basseterre Police 869-465-2241 SK Basseterre Fire 869-465-2515 SKN Coast Guard 869-465-8384 Hospital/Health Centre Alexandra Hospital 869-469-5473 Charlestown 869-469-5521 Brown Hill 869-469-5521 Gingerland 869-469-5521 Butlers 869-469-8254 Camps 869-469-9323 Cotton Ground 869-469-5521 J.N.F. Hospital, SK 869-465-2551 Nevis Disaster Management Dept . 869-469-1423
