Max Defender 8 Weather App vs Ready Pinellas

News Channel 8 and Storm Team 8 are proud to introduce Max Defender 8, a new, interactive local weather app for all of Tampa Bay. The world’s most powerful radar is now in the palm of your hand. Whether you live in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, Clearwater, Lakeland or New Port Richey, Mac Defender 8 will keep you and your family safe.

Pinellas County Emergency Management’s Ready Pinellas application is a mobile disaster preparedness and decision support application designed to assist Pinellas County citizens in planning ahead, or when tropical storms approach our area, providing an outline of steps and recommendations and current information. Ready Pinellas App Features: Know Your Zone: When a tropical storm approaches it’s critical for residents to know their Evacuation Zone. It’s best to find out your zone before hurricane season so you can access your risk and make plans. As a user, you can enter your address and determine your evacuation level, the closest hotel accommodations, the closest general or special needs shelter. Note: not all shelter and hotel accommodations will be available in all storm levels. Check back with this feature when a storm is approaching. Readiness Checklist: The Readiness Checklist is a tool to provide users an easy guide for preparedness ahead of hurricane season. There is a Blue Sky Readiness Checklist for pre-storm preparations, and as a tropical storm approaches and Pinellas County is placed in the 5-day or 3-day cone as indicated by the National Hurricane Center, the app will present the 5-day Readiness Checklist and then the 3-day Readiness Checklist. Get a Plan: This feature helps citizens, businesses and special needs citizens create an emergency preparedness plan. Users can enter information about the location of their homes and businesses, family members, pets and family contact information and an individualized emergency plan will be developed that users are able to print or maintain online. Alert Pinellas: The most important step you can take to be prepared is to know when a hazard is coming. The Alert Pinellas emergency notification service allows Pinellas County to send urgent messages by voice to landlines and mobile devices, text, TDD and via email. Registration is free, and users can register each address where they live and work to get alerts for multiple locations. Storm Surge Protector: This interactive tool depicts the impact that different levels of storm surge flooding would have on a neighborhood, home or business. Users can type in their address and see a representative graphic illustration of their structure type with a depiction of the projected height of storm surge for the different evacuation levels. It also displays the specific evacuation level for the address and the amount of storm surge predicted for that evacuation level in a neighborhood view. Special Needs: Pinellas County’s special needs program is intended for those who need transportation or require minimal medical assistance while seeking public shelter. Registration for a special needs shelter is required and this feature allows users to register. Pet Preparedness: Get information on sheltering your pet, and a list of supplies needed to weather the storm. Find out information on pet collection or information about locating stray animals following a hazard event. There are also pet friendly shelters and pet coordination for special needs citizens. A link brings you to registration forms. Social Media: Follow Pinellas County on social media for general county information, breaking news, preparedness tips and real-time updates. Pinellas County All Hazards Preparedness Guide: Download a PDF version of Pinellas County’s All Hazards Guide, with information on how to prepare for and respond to hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, lightning and manmade disasters. National Hurricane Center: Connect to the official source for worldwide tropical predictions, weather, water and climate data, and analyses of hazardous tropical weather. Find translations and podcasts.