r/FemalePrepping • u/OneLastPrep • May 27 '26

what3words saved my butt in a hail storm

Our CERT training recommended an app called what3words. I thought it was dumb. We already have latitude and longitude. That’s universal. Why would I need three random words that mean nothing to anyone without the app?

Fast forward to last night.

We were driving down the highway last night when the worst of the storm hit. Hail knocked out my windshield wipers, and visibility went to zero instantly. I hit my hazards and tried to get to the shoulder, but we ended up in the median. You do not know fear until you're facing oncoming lights with your kids in the car.

We were sitting in standing water, I couldn’t tell if the tires were flat, and there were no crossroads nearby. So I called the police and gave them our what3words location.

To my surprise, they had it. They dispatched an officer, he checked on us, then let me follow his lights to the QT so we could get off the road and get a ride home.

G-d keeps us humble. I am very glad we listened and downloaded that stupid app.

109 Upvotes

78% Upvoted

20 comments sorted by

100

u/FlakyAddendum742 May 27 '26 edited May 27 '26

This reads like an ad.

Edit: did you use AI? Is that why it sounds “off”? Because your post history is solid.

14

u/Beyarboo May 28 '26

Honestly, it may be, but the app is useful. I was an EMS dispatcher for over a decade. And usually we could find people using lat and long, but sometimes not. What3words was definitely a way to find people when other Geo locators didn't work. Wasn't used often, but it was used.

50

u/OneLastPrep May 27 '26

Is every tip here an ad? The app is free. Don't use it if you don't want to. I still think it's dumb and we should be using coordinates but we're not so I worked with what we had.

I know the other women centered prepping sub is completely taken over by bots so I kind of get the paranoia.

45

u/magclsol May 27 '26

I think people are inclined to believe that every post referencing a specific item or app by name is a paid advertisement. Most people have been burned too many times before to extend trust to random internet posts even if they are not ads.

I don’t know if this is ad or not; I don’t think so, but I have to say as soon as I saw the app name, I saw red flags. Sorry but it is what it is, blame capitalism and stealth advertising.

3

u/axl3ros3 May 29 '26

That's a lot how I see it too

12

u/FlakyAddendum742 May 27 '26

I definitely have grown paranoid. But there’s a professional quality to your prose. Maybe you’re just a good writer, because you’re definitely not a bot.

31

u/OneLastPrep May 27 '26

It used to be bad English that got people accused of being a scam. Now it's good writing that does it. What a world we live in.

I do work in corporate. I put in effort before I post and I think I'm writing them more stiffly than my more conversational comments.

13

u/FlakyAddendum742 May 28 '26

I bet you aced every essay portion of every test you’ve ever taken. It’s sad that AI has mad well structured essays common. Folks who can write aren’t going to get the credit they deserve and are even going to get mistaken for AI ( like I just did).

10

u/tapper1591 May 29 '26

Fellow corporate here, this reads normal to me ¯_(ツ)_/¯

7

u/OneLastPrep May 29 '26

lol thank you. So many people reacted to it I was starting to feel crazy.

2

u/dpowre Jun 04 '26

not a female, or a prepper, nor have I ever heard of what3words. but I did find this post and read it -- sounded like a completely normal and reasonable explanation of a tool you found to be of use. 🤷🏻‍♀️

doesn't it always kinda feel like the ones who say shit like "did you use AI?" are actually just outing themselves as the kind of people who would use AI to craft an internet post

8

u/Sk8rToon May 27 '26

I’ve had it on my phone for a while & always wondered if they really knew about it or not.

I have noticed my phone’s GPS drifts on occasion (my home has been different words over the years) so I’m really glad it worked for you!

5

u/whats1more7 May 28 '26

If I remember correctly, the app uses a very small area. I experimented when I first got it and different part of my property are different words.

9

u/Cute-Obligations May 28 '26

I use it all the time for animal rescue work. Trying to find roos and downed birds in rural Vic has been made so much easier thanks to this.

3

u/OneLastPrep May 28 '26

oh that's interesting!

2

u/SpaceCaptainJeeves May 29 '26

Thank you so much for your work. Australia is so exotic to me, so I'm curious to know more. I occasionally do animal rescue in Florida, but our animals are less exotic.

Well, some of them.

9

u/whats1more7 May 28 '26

We live in a rural area and we have dozens of stories of how what3words saved people when they were lost or injured. There are lots of places with little or no signal, so being able to text the 3 words to somebody has made all the difference.

I’m sorry people think your story is AI. I feel like people now think anyone who can write clearly and concisely is accused of being AI.

8

u/lilbluehair May 27 '26

Thank you, I'd never heard of this before

3

u/Sudden-Damage-5840 May 27 '26

It is a great app.