LCEM and GIS Announce Release of LeeEvac iPhone App
Lee County Emergency Management’s free LeeEvac app provides residents and visitors to Lee County the ability to find their Hurricane Evacuation Zone on their iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches before a hurricane threatens the gulf coast. The LeeEvac app will also allow users to see when and where evacuations are being ordered in real-time.
“The ability to effectively inform people who may be required to evacuate is a critical part of protecting our community. The LeeEvac app uses familiar technology to provide personalized information to help people protect themselves and their loved ones,” said Gerald Campbell, Planning Chief, Lee County Emergency Management. “The app is really the result of a team effort between Lee County GIS and Geocove, they were able to turn an Emergency Management idea into a functioning app,” added Campbell.
The LeeEvac app was developed in response to the new storm surge maps unveiled earlier this year, and out of a desire on the part of Lee County Emergency Management and Geographic Information Systems, in partnership with Geocove, Inc., to provide evacuation information that is accessible and relatable to residents and visitors of Lee County.
“It’s the first Lee County GIS smart device application. We hope to develop more mobile applications in the future to provide Lee County citizens with better decision making tools,” stated Amy Hoyt, GIS Manager, Lee County GIS. “It’s so easy to use, it’s very intuitive,” added Hoyt. “The app allows you to use your current GPS location, tap on the map, or search for an address within Lee County to see if you are in a active evacuation zone, at any time.”
Lee County Emergency Management and GIS will continue to work with Geocove to provide an Android based version of LeeEvac later this fall. Future versions of the app will include an Active Evacuation Notification System, which allows notifications to be pushed to the user’s phone as evacuations are ordered or changed. The LeeEvac app is FREE and can be downloaded from the iTunes App Store.
Search for LeeEvac and check out your Evacuation Zone today! Be prepared!