INGHAM COUNTY, Mich — A 79-year-old woman who became stranded while kayaking on the Grand River was rescued thanks to an emergency location app that helped first responders find her quickly.
- The woman called 911 after getting stuck on a steep riverbank that she couldn't climb.
- Dispatchers used the What3Words app to pinpoint her exact location in the remote area.
- Sheriff's deputies located her with a drone in just four minutes before conducting the rescue.
WATCH: How three simple words saved a stranded kayaker in Ingham County
The life-saving emergency app is helping first responders find people when every second counts.
"It's a great way to show technology and human beings working together to save someone," said Ingham County Sheriff Scott Wriggelsworth.
According to Wriggelsworth, on Monday, a woman called 911 when she got stuck on a steep riverbank on Grand River.
"She probably wouldn't have been able to get up that bank due to how steep it was," Wriggelsworth said.
Dispatchers used an app to find her position in the remote area. Sheriff's deputies sent up a drone and spotted her in just four minutes before rescuing her.
"We were able to keep the drone on top of her so that way we could direct the other first responders to get her out of the bank," Wriggelsworth said.
That app is What3Words, a life-saving tool I learned about last month. The app has divided the world into 10 ft by 10 ft squares. Each square has a unique identifier with three different words.
Click below to watch previous coverage:
I met with Joann Depeel, who spends every single day going on walks around the neighborhood.
"I look at my millage and go okay I think I'll do two or three miles," Depeel said.
Depeel tells me there's been times she didn't know where she was, so I showed her the app and now, she's planning on downloading it.
"It's just nice to know if something happened, I could use that app and they could find me," Depeel said.
Back with Wriggelsworth, he urges everyone to have the app downloaded.
"Have your cellphone on you, download the app, because you never know when you're going to need help," Wriggelsworth said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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