Monday, Feb. 15, was probably a pretty scary day to live in Alabama. Thanks to modern technology, though, it could have been a lot worse. According to ABC15.com, more than 12 tornadoes were spotted across the South on that day, predominantly in Alabama, Mississippi, and the panhandle region of Florida.

Fortunately, most of the tornadoes that did touch ground were considered small and did relatively little damage, except to some properties and many a tipped over tree. In fact, there was almost more tornado activity on this one day alone than there was in the rest of the month combined.

On top of that, this February has already seen more tornado activity than the whole months of February and March last year combined. Despite all the increased adverse weather activity, there was only one injury and zero deaths reported on the gusty Presidents Day in the South, thanks in large part to early warnings from the National Weather Service and smartphone apps like the Storm Shield App. Smartphones have an average lifespan of about two years, but this one app could keep the phones’ owners alive for much longer.

The Storm Shield Severe Weather Alerts app provides calls and texts to users whenever there is a chance of serious weather conditions moving into their area. This gives people a heads up the minute there a storm is brewing and then again when immediate action is required. Naturally, the ample time people have to prepare only increases their chances of getting out of harm’s way.

As the spring season steadily approaches, so, too, does the typical tornado season, and regions across the South and Midwest will only experience even more severe weather activity. Investing in smartphone apps that can help prepare for such activity is not only wise, but a foolish thing to neglect in today’s technology-driven age.