Jefferson County has launched a new app called "Prepare Jefferson County." 

The app was designed to be a one-stop shop for residents in a disaster. Included on the app are more than 70 different natural disasters that officials can toggle on and off depending on the season. It can give users instructions on what they may need to know before, after, or during a disaster.

Joining JoDee Kenney to discuss the new app is Niel Rivenburgh, deputy director of fire and emergency management at Jefferson County. 

Rivenburgh says the county was able to build the app based on their annual assessment of the county’s emergency preparedness.  

The app was released in February and already has thousands of downloads. The county got to see it in action during the recent total solar eclipse.  

Officials sent out common sense messages about preparing for the day, such as taking protective measures, expect traffic, and getting gas and groceries early. 

In 2017, and 2019, Jefferson County had a substantial amount of impact from the flooding of Lake Ontario. Rivenburgh says one of the biggest challenges is playing catch up to the damage reporting. One of the features that has been built into the app is instantaneous damage reporting.

The app is available on the Apple app store and on Androids.