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This week: severe thunderstorms in QLD & NSWSource

Who checks on Grandma when the storm hits?

Storm Circle turns “we should have a plan” into one job per person: who sends the first “I’m OK”, who checks on whom, who grabs the dog, where you meet. Everyone gets their own link and taps I’m in.

Try the free demo Join the waitlist

3 minutes · no app, no account · your plan never leaves your browser

⛈ STORM CIRCLE · SAMPLE

The Rivera family

76/100

🟡 Almost there

  • ✅ Maya: sends the first “I’m OK” text
  • ✅ Leo: checks on Grandma Rosa
  • ⏳ Sam: picks up the kids
  • ⚠️ Nobody checks on Grandpa Joe

Fictional example family

Everyone assumes someone else has the plan

When the power goes out, the family group chat fills with “is everyone ok??”. The person who most needs a call is often the one nobody was assigned to.

39%

had a plan they had actually discussed

with their household, in FEMA’s 2012 National Survey (43% said they had a plan at all).

Source: FEMA (PDF)

71%

expect help from friends or family

in a disaster, more than from any government level, in FEMA’s 2024 National Household Survey. 51% say thunderstorms would have a big impact where they live.

Source: FEMA 2024 (PDF)

Text

gets through when calls don’t

The National Weather Service and Ready.gov advise a paper copy of contacts for everyone, an out-of-area contact, and texting first, because texts need far less network than calls.

Source: NWS

What you get

One job per person

Six simple jobs, from “sends the first I’m OK” to “checks on Grandpa”. Nobody is forgotten.

A personal link each

Send it by WhatsApp or text. They see their job, tap “I’m in” and send the confirmation back.

Wallet card

PNG with meeting spots, out-of-area contact and who does what. Save it offline or print it.

Storm-day check-in planned

One tap when a warning is issued: everyone reports “OK / need help”, and you see who hasn’t answered.

Build your circle

Runs entirely in your browser. Your data does not leave your browser, except inside the links you choose to send.

People (2–8)

Your circle score, gaps and personal links appear here.

Fill in the form or click “Load sample data”.

How it works

  1. STEP 1

    Name the people & spots

    Up to 8 people, one job each, two meeting spots and an out-of-area contact.

  2. STEP 2

    Send each their link

    WhatsApp or text. They see only what they need: their job, the spots, the contact.

  3. STEP 3

    They tap “I’m in”

    The confirmation comes back to you, your score goes up, and they can pass a circle on to someone they’d check on.

We’re looking for 50 pilot families

Storm Circle is a new, independent project by kapitALEXperte LLC. No reviews yet, no fake testimonials. Pilot families get the storm-day check-in first and help shape it. Especially welcome: families with older parents living alone, shift workers, and anyone in tornado, hurricane, bushfire or cyclone country.

Join the waitlist

Be first to get the storm-day check-in. One email at launch, no spam.

FAQ

Is this an official emergency service?

No. Storm Circle is a planning and conversation tool, not an alert system, and it does not replace official warnings or emergency services. In danger, call your local emergency number (911, 999, 000, 111, 112) and follow your weather service and local authorities.

Why now?

Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology is warning of further severe thunderstorms for Queensland and NSW, and New Zealand is bracing for gales of up to 130 km/h this week (see sources). The best time to agree on who does what is before the warning, not during it.

Where is my data stored?

Nowhere on our side. The demo runs in your browser, and the plan travels only inside the links you send, after the # sign, which browsers don’t send to our host. Only if you join the waitlist do we receive your email and form answers (via FormSubmit). No cookies, no tracking.

Can anyone read the links?

The plan in the link is scrambled, not encrypted. Anyone you forward it to could decode it. Only send links to people in your circle, and leave the phone field empty if you’d rather not include it.

How is the score calculated?

Points for an out-of-area contact (with phone), two meeting spots, a text-first rule, a checker for everyone who needs a check, someone sending the first “I’m OK”, someone calling the out-of-area contact, and confirmations. It follows the steps Ready.gov and the NWS recommend, but it’s a rule of thumb, not an official rating.

Does it work without signal?

The links need the internet once. That’s why there’s a wallet card: save the PNG to your photos or print it, so the plan is there when the network isn’t.

What will it cost?

The planner stays free. The price for the planned storm-day check-in is still open, which is why the waitlist asks what you’d pay.

How is this different from Ready.gov or Life360?

Ready.gov’s family plan is an excellent fillable form you print or email as a PDF. Location apps like Life360 show where people are and need everyone to install them. Storm Circle gives each person a job, works on any phone without an install, and makes everyone confirm it.

Sources