The Gadsden/Etowah County Emergency Management Agency is very excited to announce the Shelter Etowah App is now available to iOS users on iTunes. The app had previously only been available on Google Play for Android Phones. Shelter Etowah is a mobile app for smartphones that shows the status of local severe weather shelters and safe havens during potential tornadoes or severe weather. These locations typically open once our area is placed under a tornado watch and remain open until the danger has subsided. The GECEMA staff is able to update the status of shelters on the app in real-time during tornado watches and warnings for the Etowah County area so local citizens can know where the closest open shelter is located.  

“The addition of Shelter Etowah for iPhone users affords even more citizens the opportunity to be prepared in times of dangerous weather,” said Deborah Gaither, Director of the Gadsden/Etowah County Emergency Management Agency. The app is free of charge to both android and iOS users and is user friendly. Users of the app on both platforms are able to get directions, see a street level photo of the shelter location, know if the shelter is handicapped accessible, or allows pets. To download the app, search for Shelter Etowah in the App Store for iOS users or Google Play for Android.  The creation of the app was a partnership between the GECEMA and the Emergency Management Department of Jacksonville State University. For more information on the app, contact the EMA at 256-549-4575.