LEWIS By Caleb Bedillion Daily Journal TUPELO – A volunteer response team of local citizens could become a key element of the city’s emergency management planning. Two community shelters in Tupelo with the capacity to house approximately 1,000 people each are nearly constructed. One shelter is located in Lee Acres on Fillmore Drive. The other is located in Theron Nichols Park, off of Mitchell Road. Both shelters will have running water, bathrooms and electricity. City leaders are currently completing a management plan that includes directives should a weather emergency require use of the shelters. A key component of this management plan involves “citizen emergency response teams.” FEMA offers training and resources for these so-called “CERT” programs. The city hopes interested volunteers equipped with this FEMA training can provide the needed labor to staff the shelters whenever they are opened for emergencies. The process to create a CERT program is only in its infancy, but Tupelo Chief Operations Officer Don Lewis encouraged interested residents to contact City Hall. “We need the community’s involvement,” said Lewis.