Disaster aid – there’ll be an app for it

A SMARTPHONE natural disaster app is in the pipeline, under government plans to exploit new technology to help victims of floods, famines and earthquakes.

International aid cash is being ploughed into innovative ways of supporting people hit by man-made and natural tragedies.

Among the ideas is the use of smartphone apps to reunite family members, mobile phones to track survivors and Twitter to give medical advice.

Video-game technology could also be used to train people in disaster response scenarios.

International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell is bringing together a group of international leaders on 20 April at the World Bank to push for investment.

The UK is planning to embed disaster resilience plans, such as giving communities the skills to maintain food supplies, into all its aid programmes by 2015.

Mr Mitchell said: “The simple fact is that the frequency and severity of disasters will continue to increase and international governments need to stay one step ahead.

“We live in an exciting world in terms of technological advancements, but must ensure this translates into practical measures that improve our ability to save lives.”