Severe weather could happen at any time, anywhere, so being prepared to act quickly when it strikes could be a matter of survival. The Moore, Oklahoma tornado is estimated to have caused about $2 billion in property damage. In November 2013 alone, at least 70 tornadoes spanned seven Midwestern states, including one in Kokomo, Ind.

Even though the 2013 Oklahoma tornado outbreak was forecasted for days in advance, and warning lead times for the outbreak’s tornadoes averaged nearly 20 minutes, there were still many people in the impacted areas who stated they were unprepared.

Here is what we can do to prepare:

Knowing your risk, taking action and being an example by sharing your knowledge and actions with your social network are just a few steps you can take to be better prepared and save your life and others.

• Know Your Risk: Tornadoes and damaging severe thunderstorms are not uncommon in northeastern Indiana, southern lower Michigan and northwestern Ohio. See the chart below and follow this link to see additional information about the severe weather risk in this area.
  
• Take Action: Take the next step in severe weather preparedness by creating a family communications plan, putting an emergency kit together, keeping important papers and valuables in a safe place, and learning about Wireless Emergency Alerts. To learn more about taking action, participate in a local event on April 30 through America’s PrepareAthon.
• Be an Example: Once you have taken action to prepare for severe weather, share your story with family and friends on Facebook or Twitter. Your preparedness story will inspire others to do the same.

Learn more at www.weather.gov and www.ready.gov/severe-weather or the Spanish­ language website www.listo.gov. Follow the northern Indiana office of the National Weather Service @nwsiwx and FEMA @readygov.