There's now an easier way for local residents to plan for an emergency or natural disaster. Developers believe the "Ready Erie" app will improve communication during difficult times.
During Thursday's unveiling, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said the app "can be put on your phone which allows you and your family members to not only plan for an emergency or a disaster, it allows Erie County government to share information with you during an emergency."
An important feature that Poloncarz points to is how the app will allow families to communicate directly during emergencies.
Real-time information on road closures should be available on the app, which Emergency Services Commissioner Dan Neaverth assures is very intuitive.
"If we have a Zika issue or something along the lines of that, the up-to-date information, the real science direct from the CDC, will be posted at this app. So you can see what's real, what's not real."
The "Ready Erie" app is free to download on all major platforms and is available in multiple languages.