Help for a bad day, at home or on the road: radio frequencies for news and warnings when the internet is out, plus shelters, hospitals and 24-hour emergency vets in every FEMA region.
Listen freely, transmit legally. Anyone may monitor these channels. Transmitting needs the right authorization: an FCC amateur license for ham bands (General class or higher for HF nets and 60 m), a GMRS license for GMRS, an agency license for public-safety channels. FRS, MURS and CB need no license. In a true emergency involving immediate risk to life, FCC rules allow any station to call for help on any frequency. Always confirm local ARES/RACES frequencies with your county emergency coordinator.
FEMA regions Tap a region to filter. National entries always show.
Gear for a bad day
A phone can't pick up AM, FM or NOAA weather broadcasts, and its battery won't last a long outage. These are the items that make the rest of this app useful when the power and internet are out.
Affiliate disclosure. Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through them, Bad Day Rescue may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It never affects the hospitals, vets, shelters or frequencies listed in this app. Product links need an internet connection.
What Bad Day Rescue is for
Bad Day Rescue helps when something goes wrong. The power or internet is out at home and you need to know what is happening. You are traveling and need a hospital, or a 24-hour vet for your pet, in a town you don't know. A storm is coming and you need a shelter or a weather broadcast.
Everything in the app is stored inside one file. Once that file is on your phone or computer, the frequencies, hospitals, vets and shelter list all work with no internet and no cell data.
If you have a bad day
Internet or power is out at home
Open the Frequencies tab and tap your FEMA region.
Tap Broadcast & weather.
Tune a battery or car radio to your area's AM station in the list. These stations carry national emergency alerts and stay on the air during disasters.
For weather warnings, set a weather radio to one of the seven NOAA Weather Radio channels (162.400 to 162.550 MHz). Try each one until you hear your local forecast.
Traveling and need a hospital
Call 911 first for anything life-threatening.
Open Hospitals and type the town, county or ZIP code into the search box.
Keep Emergency room only on so you only see hospitals with an ER.
Call the number shown, or give the address to your map app.
Your pet is hurt or sick
Open Emergency vets and search for the city or state you're in.
Look for the 24/7 badge, and call before you drive so they can get ready.
If your pet ate something toxic, call ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435.
You need a shelter
Text SHELTER and your ZIP code to 43362. A plain text message often gets through when calls and data do not.
Open Shelters to see the shelters that were open when the app was last updated.
Listen to your area's AM station for new shelter openings.
You have a two-way radio
FRS radios (family walkie-talkies) need no license. Channel 20 is widely monitored for emergencies, and channel 1 is a common calling channel.
CB channel 9 is the CB emergency channel.
Ham operators: the Amateur section lists calling frequencies and emergency nets. You need a license to transmit, except to call for help when a life is in danger.
How to use the app
Tabs
Switch between Frequencies, Shelters, Hospitals, Emergency vets and Gear at the top of the screen. Gear lists what to buy before a bad day.
FEMA region
Tap a region card or pick one from the list to see only that area. Tap the same card again to see everything. Not sure of your region? Each card lists its states.
Search
Type a town, county, state, ZIP code, station name or frequency. Searches work on every tab.
Categories
On Frequencies, tap a category such as Broadcast & weather or Amateur to narrow the list.
★ Save
Tap the star next to a frequency to save it, then tap Saved only to see just your favorites. Saved items stay on that device and in that browser.
⧉ Copy
Copies a frequency so you can paste it into a message or note.
Get it ready before you need it
Add it to your home screen. Go to baddayrescue.com. On iPhone, open it in Safari, tap the Share button, then Add to Home Screen. On Android, open it in Chrome, tap the menu, then Add to Home screen or Install app.
Open it once while you still have service. After that first visit it is saved on your phone and works with no internet. It updates itself the next time you're online.
On a computer, you can also keep the file Bad Day Rescue.html and open it in any web browser.
Find your region now. Tap your region and star the AM station and NOAA channel for your home so they are one tap away.
Keep a battery-powered or hand-crank radio with AM, FM and NOAA weather bands. A phone can't receive these broadcasts on its own.
Write down the big numbers in case your phone dies: 911, Poison Control 1-800-222-1222, ASPCA Animal Poison Control (888) 426-4435, Red Cross 1-800-733-2767, and 211 for local help.
What works without internet
Feature
No internet
Frequencies, hospitals and emergency vets
Works
Search, region filter, saved stars
Works
Shelter list
Works, but shows the last update only
Text SHELTER + ZIP to 43362
Needs cell service, not data
Links to the Red Cross map and other websites
Needs internet
Keeping it current
Phone numbers, hours and shelters change. Each list was checked on the date below, so call ahead whenever you can.
Frequencies: FEMA, CISA, FCC and ARRL sources, October 2026.
Hospitals: Medicare Care Compare hospital list (5,419 hospitals), October 2026.
Emergency vets: checked against each hospital's own listing, October 2026.
Shelters: FEMA National Shelter System snapshot, October 12, 2026. Shelters open and close by the hour.
Bad Day Rescue is a guide, not an emergency service. In a life-threatening emergency, call 911. In many areas you can also text 911 if you can't speak.
Help us test
Bad Day Rescue is free and in beta. If you find a wrong phone number, a closed hospital or vet, or anything that doesn't work, please tell us what you found and where.
The app collects no personal information and sends nothing anywhere. Privacy policy and tester steps: baddayrescue.com/privacy.html and baddayrescue.com/testing.html.
Find an open shelter now
TextSHELTER and your ZIP code to 43362FEMA text service. Example: SHELTER 12180
WebRed Cross open shelter mapThe Red Cross live map. Sites are added as they open, so check back if none are near you.
Call1-800-733-27671-800-RED CROSS, 24 hours.
Call211Local shelters, food and help in most US areas.
RadioTune your area's PEP station or NOAA Weather RadioShelter openings are announced during disasters. See the Frequencies tab.
Going to a Red Cross shelter
Bring if you canBedding, clothing, medications, your emergency kit, and a comfort item for children.
Leave at homeAlcohol, illegal drugs and weapons.
PetsWelcome when possible, but they may be housed in a separate area. Service animals are always allowed.
Map pinsOn the Red Cross map, a tent icon marks an overnight shelter. Plain pins are other relief sites, such as places to get supplies.
Open shelters by FEMA region
Pet swallowed something toxic? Call ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435, open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. A consultation fee may apply.
Find an emergency vet now
Call firstYour regular vet's after-hours lineMost practices refer to a specific emergency hospital after hours.
SearchIn any map app, search emergency vet open 24 hoursCall ahead so the hospital can prepare and confirm they can take your animal.
DisastersPets at sheltersRed Cross shelters welcome pets when possible, sometimes in a separate area. Service animals are always allowed.
24-hour emergency animal hospitals Verified October 2026 from each hospital's own listing: every Veterinary Emergency Group (VEG) hospital, university teaching hospitals, VECCS-certified hospitals, and other confirmed 24/7 hospitals. VECCS Level III hospitals may not be open 24/7, so call first.
Hours change, so call before you go. This list is not complete: many good 24-hour animal hospitals are not on it, and we could not confirm any 24/7 hospital in Delaware. Denver-area entries come from the Denver Dumb Friends League's 2023 list of 24-hour hospitals. Use the search tips above to find the nearest one.
Life-threatening emergency? Call 911. Chest pain, trouble breathing, stroke signs, severe bleeding or a serious injury belong in an emergency room, not urgent care. Poison Control: 1-800-222-1222. Mental health crisis: call or text 988.
Hospitals by FEMA region Medicare Care Compare hospital list, 5,419 hospitals. Pick a region or search by city, county or ZIP.
24-hour urgent care No official national list exists, so hours must be checked with each clinic.
SearchIn any map app, search urgent care open 24 hours and call to confirm before you go.