As Hurricane Harvey dropped anchor over Southeast Texas last week, Zello became the go-to app for rescuers working to save thousands of people trapped by floodwaters.
Within days of Harvey's arrival, the app saw a 20-fold increase in usage in Houston, according to Bill Moore, the Austin based startup's the chief executive.
As Hurricane Irma hurtles across the Caribbean toward the coast of Florida, Zello continues to boom in popularity. The free Internet "walkie-talkie" app - which relies on cellphone data plans or WiFi and is designed to operate in places where signals are weak - became the top app on iTunes and Google Play Wednesday.
The latest influx began Tuesday and, at one point, Moore said, 120 people were registering for the app every second. In recent days, the app has also trended on Facebook and Twitter, offering another example of the pivotal role social media is playing in natural disasters.
"The heat map of where the registrations are occurring looks like the hurricane's forecast path," he added. "It's very dense at the tip among the Caribbean islands and then fans out across Florida."
Moore said so many people registered for the app Tuesday that Zello suffered some performance issues, which have since been resolved.
Forecasters are calling Irma "a potentially catastrophic Category 5" storm with sustained winds of 185 mph, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Florida officials have begun evacuating portions of the eastern coastline, which is densely packed with cities, towns and suburbs.
The storm is the most powerful to threaten the East Coast in a decade, according to The Washington Post's Francisco Alvarado and Mark Berman. Interest in the storm is being reflected in app downloads, according to Adam Blacker, a research analyst for Apptopia, a company that tracks the mobile app economy.
"People are tracking the weather hardcore right now," Blacker said via email. "The top paid app right now is NOAA Pro Weather Alerts and the #3 paid app right now is Hurricane Tracker."
In Southeast Texas, also a densely populated area, Zello proved to be a useful tool for coordinating a chaotic rescue operation run by numerous groups filling in for overwhelmed public officials, many of them grass-roots volunteers like the Cajun Navy, a Louisiana group that helps with search-and-rescue efforts in time of need.
The app has more than 100,000 users worldwide, including in Hong Kong, where it is popular with taxi drivers. The app seems to thrive in locations where government services struggle to meet demand, such as Egypt, South Africa, Venezuela, and parts of the Middle East.
During Harvey, the app allowed victims and rescuers to post voice messages to specific channels, such as "the Cajun Navy" and "Harvey Animal Rescue."
In Houston, volunteers found another way to use the app. By monitoring Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, users were able to feed information to rescue boaters who then took that information and used Zello to coordinate rescues in flooded neighborhoods all over the region.
"With voice, someone can communicate a ton of information in a way that text does not," Moore told The Post last week. "In a few seconds of hearing your voice, I can guess what part of the country you're from, if you've been drinking, what mood you're in, whether you're afraid or in distress."
"For that reason, voice becomes great for solving problems, and it demands attention from both sides in a way that texting does not," he added. "Your brain is wired for voice."
Despite the app's booming popularity, Moore said the recent spike that arrived with Irma caught even him by surprise.
"It's just a lot of scale," he said. "People are hearing about the app and how generally useful it is during disasters. It's great to be part of the solution."
Reuters
Thu Sep 07 2017
Man holding a two way radio or walkie talkie which is both a receiver and transmitter against an ocean background with copyspace. - Photo http://stockarch.com
TH anjur Kursus Perdana Haji bermula hari ini hingga 5 Mei 2024
Sepanjang kursus selama satu setengah hari ini, bakal-bakal haji akan melalui praktikal seperti bertawaf, sa'ie, melontar jamrah dan ibadat haji lain secara berkumpulan.
Jenazah Tun Hanif Omar dikebumi di Tanah Perkuburan Islam Bukit Kiara
Jenazah Tun Mohammed Hanif Omar akan dikebumikan di Tanah Perkuburan Islam Bukit Kiara.
Wanita ditahan bantu siasatan kes simbah OKU dengan air panas
Polis menahan seorang wanita bagi membantu siasatan kejadian seorang lelaki sindrom Down melecur pada bahagian badan disyaki akibat disimbah air panas ketika berada di dalam lif.
Kepimpinan MPN PKR Sabah: Tiada nama spesifik dibincangkan - Fahmi
Ketua Penerangan PKR Fahmi Fadzil berkata tiada nama spesifik yang dibincangkan berkaitan kepimpinan Majlis Pimpinan Negeri (MPN) PKR Sabah.
Pemergian Tun Hanif kehilangan buat negara - Musa Hassan
Pemergian bekas Ketua Polis Negara (KPN) Tun Mohammed Hanif Omar adalah satu kerugian buat negara.
Wanita maut, dua lelaki parah kereta langgar pokok
Seorang wanita maut, manakala dua lelaki cedera parah selepas kereta dinaiki mereka terbabas sebelum melanggar sebatang pokok di tepi jalan dalam kemalangan di Jalan Macalister awal hari ini.
Israel perlu waspada jika negara Asia Barat masuk campur
Israel seharusnya mengambil pengajaran daripada konflik dengan Iran supaya tindak bertindak sewenang-wenangnya mencabuli hak rakyat Islam, terutamanya Palestin.
AWANI Ringkas: PM: Isu PKR Sabah akan diselesaikan segera
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
DNB nafi dakwaan tidak telus dalam menjalankan operasi dalaman
Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB) dengan tegas menafikan dakwaan bertindak tidak telus dalam menjalankan operasi dalaman serta menolak sebarang gambaran negatif terhadap amalan tadbir urus dan perolehannya.
Adakah ia akan mencetuskan perang lebih besar & dahsyat di Asia Barat?
Prof. Dr. Mizan Mohammad Aslam, Jabatan Hubungan Antarabangsa, Keselamatan dan Undang-Undang
Ebit Liew masuk Gaza hari ini, serah dua treler ubat dan keperluan asas kepada rakyat Palestin
Ebit Lew mengakui air matanya tidak dapat dibendung lagi usia mengaminkan doa sejurus bantuan disampaikan.
Konflik di Gaza: Angka korban rakyat Palestin meningkat kepada 30
Serangan udara oleh Israel berterusan manakala Hamas membalas dengan menembak roket ke Tel Aviv.
Bandar hilang berusia 3,000 tahun ditemui di Mesir
Kawasan yang ditemui menerusi satu misi arkeologi itu lengkap dengan tinggalan struktur rumah yang diperbuat daripada tanah liat, serta artifak-artifak bersejarah dan alatan dari zaman firaun.
Berita tempatan pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Antara pelbagai berita dalam negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini, Ahad, 2 Ogos 2020.
COVID-19: Rayuan kecualikan caj kuarantin pelajar Malaysia dari Yaman - YPC
Muhyiddin dirayu agar segera campur tangan mengatasi masalah caj kuarantin yang difahamkan dikenakan sebanyak RM1,890 ke atas pelajar Malaysia yang baru pulang dari Yaman pada pagi Ahad.
131 rakyat Malaysia terkandas di Yaman tiba di tanah air - Wisma Putra
Kumpulan pertama rakyat Malaysia seramai 131 orang yang dilaporkan terkandas di Yaman sejak Mac lepas susulan pandemik COVID-19, selamat tiba di KLIA pada pagi Ahad.
Pelakon 'Twilight' meninggal dunia
Mendiang Boyce dijumpai bersama mayat teman wanitanya Natalie Adepoju, 27, di Las Vegas, Nevada.
Sampai berdarah hidung mahu jumpa Mo Salah
Dalam kekecohan itu, dia terlanggar tiang lampu lalu rebah terbaring dalam keadaan tidak sedar.
Laungan 'Laillahaillallah, As-Syahid Habibullah' iringi jenazah Dr Fadi
Laungan -Laillahaillallah, as-Syahid Habibullah- berkumandang di Surau Medan Idaman, Setapak, tatkala jenazah Imam Dr Fadi Al-Batsh dibawa masuk ke perkarangan surau itu.
Lebih 1,000 lagi pelajar dibawa pulang sebelum Jumaat
Seramai 1,328 pelajar selamat dihantar pulang menerusi Ops Piramid 2 setakat hari ini.