Hurricane Sandy has clearly taken its toll on the East Coast. At least 7.4 million homes and businesses are without power this morning across seven states. Public transit has been shut down in New York City, along with the Nasdaq and NYSE. Frankenstorm has truly been unprecedented, and so unprecedented changes are to follow in the tech world.
For example, the top three apps in the Apple App Store at this very moment are YouTube, Hurricane by American Red Cross, and Flashlight by iHandy inc.
As you may already know, YouTube hooked up with The Weather Channel to stream live coverage of the storm around the clock. YouTube has been the number one free social app since iOS 6 and the iPhone 5 gave Google the boot, but it’s now the top free app overall.
The Hurricane app by the Red Cross helps you stay up to date with developments in your specific area, along with providing a way to connect with friends and family.
Flashlight, as you can expect, provides a flashlight out of the phone with using display and LED flash. All in all, the apps are must-have for anyone dealing with serious aftermath in the wake of this storm.
Usually, the top three free apps in the App Store are games, Apple apps, or social networks like Facebook and Twitter.
Eventually, those apps will retake their top positions, but for now it’s clear even in the App Store that many people are affected by the storm.