PDC World Disaster Alerts app on iPad

Disaster Alert, the free app developed by the Kihei-based Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) for iOS devices (iPhone, iPod touch and iPad) and Google’s Android platform, was featured in an article published today in the online version of USA Today.

A shorter version is expected to appear in the weekend print edition of USA Today. PDC has been advised that the article may be featured on CNN this Sunday, March 10th, at 2.30 p.m. EST.

The article describes the spike in disaster app downloads following the earthquake and tsunami in Japan on March 11th. Downloads of PDC’s Disaster Alert tripled from the average of 3,500 downloads per week, and has now reached close to 100,000 downloads, ranked #30 and #41 top free (News) for iPad and iPhone, respectively.

Disaster Alert provides instant access to global “active hazards”, including weather-related disasters, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis. The USA Today article quotes PDC Executive Director Ray Shirkhodai: “We harvest and present a lot of data from more than 65 trusted sources and mark those that are potentially dangerous.” The app monitors multiple agencies in real time, and information can be disseminated well ahead of mainstream media broadcasts.

The Disaster Alert app launch was featured in a Focus Maui Nui article published by the Maui News on August 16, 2010.