06 September, 2017
Apple's Siri, which has faced increased competition in the digital personal assistant space with the Google Assistant and Amazon's Alexa, helped the girl contact the Coast Guard to pick them up and fly them to safety. The teen in question, 14-year old Tyler Frank, suffers from sickle cell anemia, in which the flood water and the overall shock of the events did not help.
Being trapped by the rising flood waters was bad enough, but Frank also suffers from sickle cell anemia.
A sickle-cell crisis, which can be caused by stress and changes in temperature, causes a lack of oxygen in parts of the body and can be more painful than childbirth, according to the National Heart, Blood, and Lung Association.
But after her calls to emergency services and pleas on social media failed to get attention, she said the voice-activated software allowed her to call the coastguard, which eventually rescued her.
The first call, made on the 27th of August, saw the first rescue helicopter arrive on the 28th of August in which the Coast Guard then informed the family that only the elderly were being taken at that time. The Coast Guard told CNN in a statement that first responders were faced with "an overwhelming request for assistance due to Hurricane Harvey", adding that rescue crews made decisions based upon new factors (such as life-threatening situations) and the conditions faced on the scene. However, thanks to her quick thinking and to Siri, the coast guard responded to the call as soon as possible.
A sick Houston, Texas teenager used Siri to save her life during Hurricane Harvey. Undeterred, she called the U.S. Coast Guard for help again. By this time, Tyler had a 103-degree fever.
When the helicopter arrived, they refused to take the girl despite her high fever.
Tyler said she felt abandoned.
After being seen by doctors in Pasadena, Texas, she was sent to Memorial Hermann hospital in Houston and then to Texas Children's Hospital.
Tyler Frank, 14, was stranded on the roof of her house for two days.
One of the rescuers descended from the helicopter and spoke with her. Her mother recorded it on Facebook Live again.
"She's got this great sense of humor", said Fasipe.
But the family faces another upheaval as their home, vehicle and possessions, were destroyed by the hurricane.
So, we must say that Apple's Siri is now able to save lives as well along with helping us accomplishing other tasks. "I don't think most of us can even imagine". This time she was taken away from the flooded house and was flown to a safe location along with her family members. They are now sharing a room at a Super 8 hotel off a Houston highway, using clothes that were donated to them.
