Hurricane Irma, the Category 4 storm, is destroying whatever comes in its path. During these difficult times, constant communication plays a significant role in the rescue and relief operations. It has been noticed that the hurricane volunteers are continually using the Zello walkie talkie app to maintain a constant stream of communication between each other. The usage has been detected to such vast extent, that the app has topped the charts in the U.S. app store. Considering Zello proved to be effective during Hurricane Harvey rescue operations, the volunteers turned to the same app as Hurricane Irma wreaks havoc in the southern islands of Florida.
Zello being widely used by volunteers
The Zello app uses either Wi-Fi or mobile data to function identically to a real walkie talkie. The app was first launched in 2007 in Russia under the name LoudTalks. However, in 2011, the developers behind the invention shifted base to Austin, Texas, and the app was renamed, Zello. According to reports, 100 million users all over the world use Zello to communicate with each other. The app became a hit after it was reported that volunteers of Hurricane Harvey used it during rescue and relief operations.
During an interview with BuzzFeed, the company's CEO Bill Moore, who is also responsible for developing the app, stated that since September 4, the app had received 6 million new registered users.
This huge addition has made it possible for the app to reach the number one position on Apple’s App Store. Moore also stated that with the addition of new users and Hurricane Irma, the company would be putting up additional servers to prevent the app from crashing down.
Currently, some groups that have formed for Irma relief are using the Zello app.
These groups include the South Florida Hurricane Irma channel, which has over 1,800 members. Moore shares that the Zello team is working round the clock to provide consumer service, as well as to maintain demand and usage capacity.
Zello cannot work without service signal, says app founder
While the Zello app is a useful tool to keep communication between volunteers, for reasons unknown, social media is filled with incorrect product information regarding the walkie talkie app.
Many of these assertions are that the Zello app can function without a cell signal, as it is used during disaster management. However, Alexey Gavrilov, the founder and CEO/CTO of Zello stated in a blog that the app is not a hurricane rescue and will work only in areas where either Wi-Fi connection or mobile data service is available.
