Storm Check Terms of Use

Effective date: October 11, 2026
Last updated: October 11, 2026

The short version

This is the plain-language version. The full terms below are what legally applies, but this is the spirit of it.

Neighbors helping neighbors. Storm Check exists so people who can't get home after a storm can ask someone nearby to look in on a loved one or a house. We built it because we have faith in each other, and we hope it brings out the best in people.
We connect people. We don't vouch for anyone. We don't screen, background-check or verify volunteers or requesters. Anyone can offer to help.
You decide what to share, and with whom. Your exact address stays private until you choose to approve a specific volunteer, and your notes, phone and email go only to the volunteers you pick. Who you approve, and what you tell them, is your call and your responsibility. Volunteers: when a requester approves you, they always get your name, phone and email.
Sharing your address can tell someone your home is empty. After a storm, looting is a real concern. Only share with someone you've talked to and feel you can trust. If something feels off, don't share.
Exterior checks only. Volunteers never go inside. Never pay anyone you met here, and never share entry codes, lockbox codes or keys.
On call is optional and not a promise. You can sign up to hear about new checks near your home. It doesn't commit you to help anyone, and you can stop whenever you like.
In an emergency, call 911. Storm Check is not an emergency service, and there's no guarantee anyone will respond to a request.
We'll remove people who abuse this. If someone uses Storm Check to scam, steal, stalk or harm anyone, we'll remove them, block them as best we can, and work with law enforcement.
Use it in good faith. Be honest, be kind, stay safe, and look out for each other.

Full Terms of Use

These Terms of Use ("Terms") are an agreement between you and Emerald Media LLC, a Florida limited liability company doing business as "Storm Check" ("Storm Check," "we," "us" or "our"). They govern your use of the Storm Check website at stormcheck.app, its web app, and related services, emails and notifications (together, the "Service").

1. Acceptance of these Terms

By using the Service in any way, including browsing requests, posting a request, offering to help, sending a message or uploading media, you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Summary. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old to use the Service. By using the Service, you represent that you are 18 or older and able to enter into a binding agreement. The Service is not directed to minors, and we do not knowingly allow anyone under 18 to post requests, offer to help or send messages. If we learn that a user is under 18, we may remove their content and end their access.

3. What Storm Check is, and what it isn't

3.1 A platform only. Storm Check is an online bulletin board and messaging tool. It lets people who are away ("Requesters") post a request for a welfare check (on a person) or a property check (on a home or property), and lets people nearby ("Volunteers") offer to help. Requesters and Volunteers together are "users."

3.2 We don't perform checks. We do not perform, supervise, direct, schedule or control any check. We do not guarantee that any request will receive an offer, that any check will happen, or that any information a user provides is accurate, complete or current.

3.3 No employment or agency relationship. Volunteers are not our employees, contractors, agents or representatives, and they do not act on our behalf. Nothing in these Terms or in your use of the Service creates any employment, agency, partnership, joint venture or fiduciary relationship between you and us, or between us and any other user.

3.4 Free service. The Service is free to use. We do not charge Requesters or Volunteers, and Volunteers are not paid by us or through the Service.

4. No screening or verification

We do not screen, background-check, vet, verify or endorse any user. We do not verify identities, names, ages, addresses, phone numbers, relationships, ownership of property, criminal history, or the truth of anything a user says. We confirm requesters' and volunteers' email addresses with an emailed link, but that only shows that someone can receive email at that address. It is not identity verification. We do not verify phone numbers. A request, offer, profile, message, report or anything else on the Service is not a recommendation or endorsement by us of any person.

You are solely responsible for deciding whether to interact with any other user, and for taking appropriate precautions when you do.

5. Your decisions and assumption of risk

5.1 How sharing works.

(a) Requesters. A Requester's exact address is not public. It is shared with a Volunteer only when the Requester approves that specific Volunteer. The Requester then chooses, separately for each approved Volunteer, whether to also share private notes, a phone number and an email address. Each of these is optional, and the Requester can turn sharing off later.
(b) Volunteers. To offer help, a Volunteer must give a name, a phone number and an email address, and must confirm that email address through an emailed link before the offer is delivered. When a Requester approves a Volunteer, the Requester always receives that Volunteer's name, phone number and confirmed email address. Volunteers are told this before they offer.
(c) "Ask them to call me." A Volunteer can ask a Requester to call. This notifies the Requester without revealing the Requester's phone number. Whether to call is the Requester's choice.
(d) Messages. Messages, photos and videos you send go to the other party in that conversation.

5.2 Sharing can't be undone. Turning sharing off, taking down a request or closing a conversation stops the Service from showing that information from then on. It cannot un-show information the other person has already seen, and it cannot make them forget, delete or return anything they copied, saved or wrote down. Only share what you're comfortable with that person keeping.

5.3 Receipts and records. We send automatic email receipts for key sharing and consent events (for example, "You shared your address with [name] at [time]"). We also record which version of these Terms each user accepted, and when. These receipts and records are for your information and for safety and enforcement. They are not a guarantee that the other person will act responsibly.

5.4 Sharing and permission are your own decisions. If you are a Requester, the decision to approve a Volunteer, to share your address, notes, phone number, email address or any other information, and to ask or permit anyone to check on a person or property, is your decision alone, made at your own risk. We do not make that decision for you, and we are not responsible for it.

5.5 Volunteers consent to sharing their contact details. By offering to help with a request, you as a Volunteer consent to us sharing your name, phone number and confirmed email address with that Requester if they approve you, and you understand that the Requester may contact you directly outside the Service. Do not offer if you do not want your contact details shared.

5.6 Known risks. You understand and accept that:

(a) Telling a stranger the location of a home, and that its occupants are away, during or after a disaster can increase the risk of theft, looting, trespass, vandalism or other harm.
(b) Other users may not be who they say they are, and may act carelessly, dishonestly or unlawfully.
(c) Post-storm conditions are dangerous. They can include downed power lines, flood water, debris, unstable structures, damaged roads, wildlife and other hazards.
(d) Information, photos and reports from a Volunteer may be incomplete, wrong or late.
(e) Contact details you share, or that are shared about you as a Volunteer, may be used to contact you outside the Service, where we have no visibility or control.

5.7 Volunteers act at their own risk. If you are a Volunteer, you choose whether and how to perform any check, and you do so voluntarily and at your own risk, including risk of injury, illness, property damage, vehicle damage and loss.

5.8 Only ask about people and places you're responsible for. Requesters may only request checks on property they own, rent or are authorized to look after, and on people they have a genuine, lawful reason to check on, with those people's wishes in mind.

5.9 On call (optional alerts). An adult (18+) can sign up to be told about new checks near a home base they choose, by email or push notification. Being on call is not a promise to help, and nobody is obliged to act on an alert. You can pause or stop at any time from your private link or the link in every email. The exterior-only, safety and no-money rules in Section 6 apply to anyone who acts on an alert, and the Volunteer terms above apply from the moment you offer to help with a request. Alerts show only public information about a check (its kind and roughly how far it is), never an address, and we may stop or limit alerts at any time.

6. Exterior-only checks and safety rules

6.1 Exterior only. All checks are from the outside. Volunteers must not enter, or attempt to enter, any building, structure, vehicle, gated or fenced area, or other place where they do not have a lawful right to be. Requesters must not ask Volunteers to enter.

6.2 No trespass. Volunteers must stay on public property or areas they are lawfully permitted to access, and must leave immediately if asked by an owner, occupant or official.

6.3 Follow official orders. Users must obey all curfews, evacuation orders, re-entry restrictions, road closures and instructions from law enforcement, fire, emergency management and utility personnel.

6.4 Stay safe. Never drive or walk through flood water. Stay away from downed lines and unstable structures. Do not put yourself or anyone else at risk to complete a check.

6.5 No keys, codes or money. Never share, request or accept keys, door codes, garage codes, lockbox codes, alarm codes or similar access information through the Service or with anyone you met on it. Never pay, or ask for payment from, anyone you met on the Service.

7. Prohibited conduct

You agree not to use the Service to, and not to attempt to:

(a) post a false, misleading or fake request, offer, report, photo or message;
(b) scam, defraud or deceive anyone, including "advance-fee," deposit, gift-card, repair or contractor scams;
(c) solicit, request or accept money, payment, gifts, tips, deposits or anything of value from another user;
(d) harass, threaten, intimidate, bully or abuse anyone;
(e) stalk anyone, or use the Service to locate, track, monitor or contact a person who does not want to be found or contacted, including a person protected by a court order, an injunction, or a domestic-violence or confidentiality program;
(f) steal, loot, burglarize, vandalize or trespass, or identify, case or target any property for those purposes;
(g) enter or attempt to enter any property or structure;
(h) impersonate any person or organization, including a property owner, family member, official, first responder, insurer or utility worker, or misrepresent your relationship to any person or property;
(i) collect, harvest, scrape or store other users' information, or use it for any purpose other than the check it was shared for;
(j) post content that is unlawful, defamatory, obscene, hateful, sexually explicit, violent, or that violates anyone's privacy or intellectual-property rights;
(k) post anything that publicly reveals that a specific home is empty or that a specific person is alone or vulnerable, outside the private, approved conversation;
(l) advertise, sell or promote goods or services, including contracting, roofing, tree, restoration or insurance services;
(m) interfere with, disrupt, overload, probe or attack the Service or its security, get around rate limits, or access the Service by automated means without our written permission;
(n) share, sell or misuse another user's private link;
(o) post, request or share child sexual abuse material (CSAM) or any content that sexually exploits or endangers a minor; or
(p) break any law, or help or encourage anyone else to do any of the above.

8. Enforcement and cooperation with law enforcement

8.1 Our rights. We may, at any time and in our sole discretion, with or without notice: remove, hide or restrict any request, offer, message or media; close any request or conversation; revoke any private link; block any person, email address, phone number, device or network from the Service; and take any other action we think is appropriate to protect users, the public or the Service.

8.2 Reports. Any user can report a post or conversation. Reported posts may be hidden from the public list while we review them. We are not obligated to review any content or report, and we are not responsible for any failure or delay in doing so.

8.3 Records and law enforcement. To protect users and the public, and to support enforcement, we may keep records of requests, offers, messages, media, email addresses, phone numbers, timestamps, IP-derived data and related activity, including content that has been removed or closed. We may share those records with law enforcement, emergency services, courts and government authorities when we believe in good faith that the law permits or requires it, including to respond to valid legal process, to report suspected criminal activity, or to prevent death, serious injury, or harm to people or property.

8.4 Reporting to authorities. We may report suspected crimes, including theft, looting, fraud, stalking, threats and exploitation, to the appropriate authorities, and may cooperate with their investigations. We may also pursue any other remedy available to us under law.

8.5 Content review and illegal material. We may review, manually or with automated tools, content for illegal material, including child sexual abuse material (CSAM). We report apparent CSAM to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) as required by 18 U.S.C. § 2258A, may preserve the content and related data for law enforcement, and remove it and the account links involved. We may disclose information to law enforcement when legally required or to prevent imminent harm.

8.6 Encryption and our access. Your information is encrypted in transit and stored encrypted on our servers, and only Storm Check (Emerald Media LLC) holds the keys. It is not end-to-end encrypted: we can access requests, messages, photos and video to run and moderate the Service, respond to reports, and comply with law.

8.7 No duty to monitor. Our right to enforce these Terms is not a promise that we will monitor, police or catch misconduct. Any action or inaction by us does not make us responsible for any user's conduct.

9. Your content

9.1 What's yours stays yours. You keep ownership of the text, photos, videos and other material you submit to the Service ("Your Content").

9.2 License to us. You grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, sublicensable (to our service providers) license to host, store, copy, process, transmit, display and delete Your Content as needed to operate, secure, back up and improve the Service, to enforce these Terms, and to comply with law. This includes showing your public summary and general area on the public board, and delivering your private details and messages to the users you choose. This license ends when Your Content is deleted from our systems, except for copies we keep as described in Section 8.3 and our Privacy Summary.

9.3 Your responsibility. You are solely responsible for Your Content. You represent that you have the right to submit it, that it is accurate to the best of your knowledge, and that it does not violate these Terms or anyone's rights. Be thoughtful about photographing other people, neighboring properties and vehicles.

9.4 Other users' content. Content posted by other users is their responsibility, not ours. We do not adopt or endorse it.

10. Disclaimer of warranties

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE," WITH ALL FAULTS AND WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, WE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, ACCURACY AND QUIET ENJOYMENT.

WITHOUT LIMITING THE ABOVE, WE DO NOT WARRANT OR GUARANTEE THAT: (A) ANYONE WILL RESPOND TO ANY REQUEST, OR THAT ANY CHECK WILL BE PERFORMED, PERFORMED WELL, OR PERFORMED IN TIME; (B) ANY USER IS WHO THEY CLAIM TO BE, IS SAFE OR TRUSTWORTHY, OR WILL ACT LAWFULLY; (C) ANY INFORMATION, PHOTO, VIDEO OR REPORT IS ACCURATE, COMPLETE OR CURRENT; (D) THE SERVICE, EMAILS OR NOTIFICATIONS WILL BE AVAILABLE, UNINTERRUPTED, TIMELY, SECURE OR ERROR-FREE, ESPECIALLY DURING POWER, NETWORK OR CELL OUTAGES AFTER A STORM; OR (E) ANY INFORMATION YOU SHARE WILL NOT BE MISUSED BY THE PERSON YOU SHARE IT WITH.

11. Limitation of liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, EMERALD MEDIA LLC AND ITS MEMBERS, MANAGERS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, CONTRACTORS, AGENTS, VOLUNTEERS, SUCCESSORS AND ASSIGNS (THE "STORM CHECK PARTIES") WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR:

(A) ANY ACT OR OMISSION OF ANY USER OR OTHER THIRD PARTY, INCLUDING ANY INTERACTION, COMMUNICATION, MEETING OR DISPUTE BETWEEN USERS, ONLINE OR OFFLINE;

(B) ANY LOSS OF, OR DAMAGE TO, PROPERTY, INCLUDING THEFT, LOOTING, BURGLARY, TRESPASS, VANDALISM OR STORM DAMAGE;

(C) ANY PERSONAL INJURY, ILLNESS, EMOTIONAL DISTRESS OR DEATH ARISING FROM ANY USER'S CONDUCT, FROM ANY CHECK, OR FROM POST-STORM CONDITIONS;

(D) ANY FAILURE OR DELAY OF ANY USER TO RESPOND, PERFORM A CHECK, OR REPORT ACCURATELY;

(E) ANY USE OR MISUSE OF INFORMATION YOU CHOSE TO SHARE WITH ANOTHER USER; OR

(F) ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, DATA, USE OR GOODWILL,

IN EACH CASE ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SERVICE OR THESE TERMS, WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), STRICT LIABILITY OR ANY OTHER THEORY, AND EVEN IF WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE TOTAL LIABILITY OF THE STORM CHECK PARTIES FOR ALL CLAIMS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SERVICE OR THESE TERMS WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (1) FIFTY U.S. DOLLARS (US $50) OR (2) THE TOTAL AMOUNT YOU PAID US IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS BEFORE THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM.

NOTHING IN THESE TERMS EXCLUDES OR LIMITS LIABILITY THAT CANNOT BE EXCLUDED OR LIMITED UNDER APPLICABLE LAW, INCLUDING, WHERE APPLICABLE LAW SO PROVIDES, LIABILITY FOR OUR OWN GROSS NEGLIGENCE, FRAUD OR INTENTIONAL MISCONDUCT.

12. Release

Storm Check is a meeting place, not a party to what happens between users. To the fullest extent permitted by law, you release, waive and forever discharge the Storm Check Parties from any and all claims, demands, damages, losses and liabilities of every kind, known or unknown, arising out of or relating to any interaction, dispute, communication, check or conduct between you and any other user, or between you and any third party you encountered through the Service.

You understand that this release covers claims you may not know about or suspect when you agree to these Terms. This release does not apply to claims arising from the gross negligence, fraud or intentional misconduct of the Storm Check Parties, or to any claim that cannot be released under applicable law.

13. Indemnification

To the fullest extent permitted by law, you agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless the Storm Check Parties from and against all claims, demands, actions, damages, losses, liabilities, costs and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or relating to: (a) your use of the Service; (b) Your Content; (c) your interactions with any other user or third party, including any check you request, permit or perform; (d) your violation of these Terms; or (e) your violation of any law or of the rights of any other person. We may assume the exclusive defense of any matter subject to indemnification, and you agree to cooperate with our defense.

14. Voluntary support payments

14.1 The Service may show an optional "Support Storm Check" link that lets you make a voluntary payment, processed by Stripe, to help cover hosting, email and other operating costs.

14.2 Support payments are:

(a) entirely voluntary, and never required to use any part of the Service;
(b) not a purchase. You receive no goods, services, priority, features or other benefit in return;
(c) not a charitable donation. Emerald Media LLC is not a charity or tax-exempt organization, and support payments are not tax-deductible;
(d) non-refundable, except where a refund is required by law or we choose, in our discretion, to issue one (for example, for a clear duplicate or mistaken payment).

14.3 Payments are processed by Stripe under Stripe's own terms and privacy policy. We do not receive or store your full card number.

14.4 Support payments are separate from, and do not count as, payments to or from other users. Never pay another user.

15. Not an emergency service

Storm Check is not an emergency service and is not a substitute for 911, law enforcement, fire, EMS, emergency management, utilities or insurers. If someone may be in danger, is injured, or needs urgent help, call 911 immediately. If you can't reach someone but there is no emergency, you can also ask the local law enforcement non-emergency line for a welfare check. Do not rely on the Service for any time-sensitive or life-safety need.

16. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we do, we will post the updated Terms on the Service and change the "Last updated" date above. If a change is material, we will make reasonable efforts to give notice, for example on the Service or by email to users with an open request or conversation. Changes take effect when posted, unless we say otherwise, and apply going forward. Your continued use of the Service after changes take effect means you accept them.

17. Termination

You may stop using the Service at any time, and you may take down your own request using your private link. We may suspend or end your access to all or part of the Service, or discontinue the Service entirely, at any time, for any reason or no reason, with or without notice. Sections 4, 5, 8.3 through 8.7, 9.2 through 9.4, and 10 through 20, and any other terms that by their nature should survive, survive termination.

18. Governing law and venue

These Terms, and any dispute arising out of or relating to them or to the Service, are governed by the laws of the State of Florida, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules, and, where applicable, the federal laws of the United States. Any lawsuit arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service must be brought exclusively in the state courts located in Bay County, Florida, or the United States District Court whose district includes Bay County, Florida, and you consent to the personal jurisdiction of and venue in those courts. Each party waives any objection to those courts based on inconvenient forum.

19. Severability; no waiver

If any provision of these Terms is found invalid or unenforceable, that provision will be enforced to the maximum extent permitted, and the rest of these Terms will remain in full force and effect. Our failure to enforce any right or provision is not a waiver of it.

20. Entire agreement; assignment

These Terms, together with our Privacy Summary and any safety notices shown in the Service, are the entire agreement between you and us about the Service, and replace any prior agreements or statements on that subject. You may not assign or transfer these Terms without our written consent. We may assign them, including in connection with a merger, acquisition or sale of assets. Section headings are for convenience only.

21. Contact

Questions, abuse reports, safety concerns, legal notices and privacy requests:

Emerald Media LLC (d/b/a Storm Check)
Email: help@stormcheck.app
Mailing address: Emerald Media LLC, 653 W. 23rd Street #238, Panama City, FL 32405

If anyone is in danger, call 911 first.