Naval Support Activity Naples in Italy recently launched a phone app designed to give service members and their families access to information about base services and other topics, such as disaster preparedness. (Alison Bath/Stars and Stripes)
NAPLES, Italy — A new app aims to be a one-stop source for U.S. sailors and their families in Naples seeking information on base services and instructions on what to do in the event of a natural disaster.
Navy Life Naples has been downloaded almost 280 times in the nearly one month since its March 12 launch, base spokesman Lt. Cody Milam said Wednesday.
It offers direct links to an events calendar, housing information, schedules for shuttle buses and the base movie theater, and other services without the hassle and added time of an internet or website search.
The app also lists emergency contacts and includes a link to the Naples Emergency Management Facebook page.
Eventually, it will provide details about earthquakes and volcanic activity, a significant concern for residents of the Naples area.
Over the past year, Naples has experienced thousands of tremors, the largest being a magnitude 4.2 quake in September.
That event did little damage but spurred fears that a seismic crisis might be underway in Naples for the first time in more than 40 years. The last major seismic event in the region was a magnitude 6.9 earthquake on Nov. 23, 1980, that killed nearly 3,000 people.
The recent quakes revealed an information disconnect between the base, tenant commands and residents, who were eager for more details about how to prepare for an emergency, base commander Capt. John Randazzo said in January.
Since then, the base has worked to fill that gap with bimonthly training, town hall presentations, social media campaigns, videos and a community survey, among other things.
The NSA Naples housing department also is requiring people who are newly leasing homes in areas deemed to be in danger during an earthquake or volcanic eruption to sign a letter acknowledging they understand the risks.
Those areas include the commune of Pozzuoli and the districts of Chiaia, Vomero and Posillipo.
The efforts are paying off, officials say. Informational posts about disaster preparedness garner significantly higher social media interest among followers than others, said Lt. Carolina Fernandez, a spokeswoman for Navy Region Europe, Africa, Central.
Surveys and feedback have helped officials determine where knowledge gaps exist, said Sean Quinn, emergency management director for NSA Naples.
“If the family is prepared or the individual is prepared, then assurance of mission continuity is pretty much in place,” Quinn said.
