If you’re an iPhone user, you already know why it’s one of the greatest inventions of our time. And today, as we read horror stories in Japan and elsewhere in the world, our first thoughts are the safety our loved ones as we try to get in touch & stay connected. We are also left to wonder what may the best course of action if we were faced with such emergencies. This is where the iPhone can save your life. Whether it’s a power-shutdown or a telecom system taken offline, the iPhone now offers some incredibly useful emergency apps. Download these and you are pretty much prepared for anything:

BuddyGuard: BuddyGuard works as a smart "panic button." By clicking on the big button on the app, your camera will start taking pictures every 10 seconds. Sounds are recorded constantly, and your GPS location is captured every 3 seconds. The data is uploaded every 30 seconds to the cloud, and a link to that data is broadcast to your list of emergency contacts.

Emergency Radio: The most important tool in any emergency is real-time information. This 99-cent emergency radio app will give you access not only to police, fire and other scanners, but also maps where events are taking place.

Disaster Caster: When disaster strikes, you need to get coordinated ASAP and the Disaster Caster app, also 99 cents, helps you do that. Your coordinates can then be broadcast to your peers, telling them what to do or where to meet.

Pocket First Aid & CPR: If someone needs first-aid help, this $3.99 app from the American Heart Association can guide you through a CPR or other basic first aid as well as call emergency services.

Close Call: If you have a medical condition, a free iPhone app called Close Call adds your emergency contact's phone number, plus any allergies or special medical conditions, to the home screen of your phone.

While one cannot prevent disasters, these inexpensive tools can keep you prepared. Better safe than sorry, always.

[Cult of Mac]

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