DisasterReady wins Rep. Stephanie Bice’s 2025 Congressional App Challenge in Oklahoma’s Fifth District
Rep. Stephanie Bice has named Jiya Chopra, Samaksh Bhargav, Amogh Sheth, and Kirthika Duggisetty of Deer Creek High School, Edison Academy Magnet School, and Francis Tuttle Technology Center as the winners of the 2025 Congressional App Challenge in Oklahoma’s Fifth District. Their app DisasterReady improves disaster responses by consolidating real-time situational awareness, intelligent planning, and smart mapping to transform tools that turn panic into preparedness.
When asked what inspired the creation of DisasterReady, the students said, “Natural disasters over the past few years have struck with unprecedented intensity and frequency, leaving many unprepared. The human and economic effects of this have been staggering, with many families torn apart and losing everything. The destruction that has resulted has been catastrophic, but the utter unpreparedness of whole communities has been the most unsettling. Consider the fact that, in an age of cell phones, fast, automated, and targeted alerts missed signaling to the people that mattered most. Slow and generalized traditional systems of communication have exposed countless people to the deadly consequences of unpreparedness. The sheer volume of unexploited technological solutions available proves that it is a matter of time and innovation.
“The arrival of DisasterReady answers the unpreparedness and unexploited technological gap question. DisasterReady turns your phone into an everyday device that has the tools to save your life. By streamlining life-saving alerts with AI forecasts that analyze and predict extreme weather events and other disasters with real-time data from the National Weather Service, FEMA, and other trusted partners, DisasterReady has taken out the guesswork and saved time from disaster preparation and prediction. DisasterReady provides the functions of an alert system and so much more. It understands each user’s individual needs and assists users and their families in developing customized readiness plans, locating shelters, outlining safe evacuation routes, and assembling necessary supplies. It changes dread into resolute readiness and transforms uneasiness into confidence.
“DisasterReady is not just an application. It is an activism initiative, and, in the face of emergencies, it restores control to individuals. Because, in a world in which preparedness is a risk and can save lives, everyone deserves the opportunity to be prepared.”
The 2025 Congressional App Challenge marked another record-setting year for the program. A total of 394 Members of the U.S. House of Representatives hosted App Challenges in their congressional districts, the highest level of participation in the program’s history. More than 13,800 students from across the country participated, submitting over 4,600 original apps focused on real-world challenges ranging from health and accessibility to education, sustainability, and civic engagement.
The Congressional App Challenge is an official initiative of the U.S. House of Representatives that encourages middle school and high school students to learn to code, explore computer science, and build practical technology solutions for their communities. Each participating Member of Congress selects a winning app from their district, and winning teams are invited to showcase their projects to Members of Congress, staff, and industry leaders at the annual #HouseOfCode celebration on Capitol Hill.
The Challenge is proudly bipartisan and reflects a shared commitment to expanding access to STEM education and preparing the next generation of American innovators for the future workforce. The program is a public-private partnership made possible through funding from the Broadcom Foundation, AWS, Infosys Foundation USA, theCoderSchool, Apple, and others.
The 2026 Congressional App Challenge will launch in May, and eligible students can pre-register for the competition now.