When Hurricane Laura made landfall near Fort Polk, Louisiana in early September, installation officials took advantage of the Digital Garrison app’s features to notify Soldiers and residents.

“Digital Garrison app users saw our messages about safe havens, the locations of fallen trees and power lines and pertinent information about the American Red Cross,” said Fort Polk Garrison Commander Col. Ryan Roseberry in an Army article. “Around 30 emergency messages were pushed out prior to the hurricane up through Sept. 9.”

The Army’s Digital Garrison app, launched in mid-August and provides quick and easy access to quality of life resources, exchange services, and Army family and Morale information.

The app is currently available to over 60 Army installations.

It has also been helpful in communicating up-to-date COVID-19 information.

“With COVID-19, you sometimes don’t know what is open, so it is useful to see what the gate times and commissary hours are,” said Army Materiel Command Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Bob Harter. “The families of these Soldiers want to know their loved ones are being taken care of while training here.”