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Tips For Severe Weather Preparedness Week

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Severe Weather Preparedness Week

This week serves as a yearly reminder and opportunity for Hoosiers to prepare for severe weather threats like tornadoes, thunderstorms and flooding.

Find relevant severe weather tips and information below, on GetPrepared.in.govand throughout the week on social media. Follow IDHS and use the hashtags #SevereWx and #SWPW!

Time to test your tornado plans

Room filled with debris inside house missing roof due to tornado

At 10:15 a.m. Eastern on Tuesday, March 11, practice your tornado safety plans wherever you are at that time. This means you should gather your household members (including pets) or your coworkers, then go to the lowest level of your shelter location away from windows, outside walls and doors.

The National Weather Service will issue a test tornado warning alert that will be shared using the statewide Emergency Alert System (EAS), so take your weather radio and your mobile phone, which you will need to stay aware of weather alerts and to call for help in case of an emergency.

In your tornado shelter, protect yourself from falling debris, like a ceiling (as shown above). If possible, use blankets, a mattress or a sturdy piece of furniture to cover yourself.

If you are unsure what to do during a tornado warning, now is the time to make a tornado safety plan. The risk of tornadoes in Indiana increases during springtime: About 43% of Indiana's tornadoes occur March through May. June is the most active time for tornadoes (almost 25% occur in that month alone).

On March 18, 1925, the deadliest tornado in U.S. history swept through the Midwest, including southwest Indiana. Almost a mile wide at times, the Tri-State Tornado killed nearly 700 people and destroyed 15,000 homes.

Resources

Visit the Severe Weather Preparedness webpage for helpful tips on staying safe from tornadoes and other threats.

Teachers and parents can use the IDHS Severe Weather Awareness Children's Activity Book to help kids learn about storm threats.

Take your awareness of severe weather to the next level — and help your community and the National Weather Service — by attending a short, free online or in-person class to be trained as a storm spotter. Your ability to assess weather conditions and report them quickly can make a real difference in helping others stay safe.

Photo Credits
Tornado damage to a Hoosier residence (2023) - IDHS
Farm in Patoka (Gibson County) destroyed by Tri-State Tornado (1925) - Princeton Public Library

Severe weather wherever you are

Severe weather has hit every county in Indiana since 2015.

Counties Affected by Severe Weather (2015-2024)

◘ Flooding: 85 of 92 counties (92%)
◘ Tornadoes: 83 of 92 counties (90%)
◘ Lightning (damage caused): 25 of 92 counties (27%)

Protect yourself and your loved ones:

Make sure you have multiple ways to receive weather alerts in case one method is unavailable.
When a thunderstorm is expected or early signs of one appear, wrap up your outdoor activities.
Check that every member of your household knows what to do when there is a tornado warning.
Buy flood insurance if your home is susceptible.

Nature Safety Tips

One shining shocking moment

Hoosiers know March is prime time for basketball, with teams vying for their place in the limelight. It is also the time of year when thunderstorms begin to light up the skies.

In 2024, Indiana ranked in the top 20 states nationally for lightning density, with more than 23 instances of lightning occurring per 0.4 square mile (according to Vaisala's Annual Lightning Report). That is more than 2.2 million instances of lightning statewide. In other words, a lot of lightning.

Follow these tips to make thunderbolts and lightning less frightening:

"When thunder roars, go indoors."
If you cannot get inside, avoid open areas and tall, isolated objects like trees. You do not want to be the tallest object or be near whatever is.
If sheltering in a vehicle, make sure the windows are completely shut.

Lightning Safety Tips

A little rain never hurt anybody ...

But a lot can kill you! Heavy rainfall in mid-February led to flooding in southern Indiana, especially near the Ohio River. The flooding worsened farther south in Kentucky and led to hundreds of road closures and several deaths throughout the state. The Indiana National Guard, Indiana Task Force One and Indiana conservation officers assisted rescue efforts there.

Stay safe from floods by learning about the flood risks in your area. You can use the Indiana DNR Floodplain Information Portal to find locations near you that are in floodplains.

If you encounter flooding:

Do not drive through flooded roadways. "Turn around. Don't drown."
Do not walk into or swim in floodwaters. Unknown hazards may be hidden within.

Flood Safety Tips

No playing around: Twisters can happen anywhere in Indiana

Do not be fooled into thinking a tornado cannot occur where you live! Since 1950, every Indiana county has had at least four confirmed tornadoes — even the smallest one, Ohio County. The average number of tornadoes per county is 21.

Tippecanoe County has seen the most tornadoes (51), followed by Marion (43), Lake (38), Shelby and Washington (37) and Elkhart and Boone (34). Go to the IDHS Tornado History Viewer to see when and where tornadoes in Indiana have been.

Remember:

Tornadoes can happen anywhere at any time of year and any time — day or night — when conditions are right.
Plan ahead exactly where you will shelter during a tornado warning in case you are at home, school, work or even traveling.
When sheltering from a tornado, shield yourself from debris. Cover your head and neck using your arms or other objects.

More than 1,500 tornadoes have been verified in Indiana since 1950, causing more than 5,000 injuries and 300 fatalities. In 2023, 54 tornadoes were recorded in the state.

Tornadoes are violent, rotating cylinders that can have wind speeds in excess of 300 mph, be more than a mile wide and cover approximately 50 miles during destruction. Because tornadoes are one of the more common natural-disaster risks the state faces, it is imperative Hoosiers are prepared before one occurs.

Tornado Safety Tips

Quick Tips

Identify safe places to shelter. For optimal protection, choose basements, storm cellars and inner rooms away from doors, windows and outer walls.
If you live in a mobile or manufactured home, identify an alternative shelter such as a single-family home, designated tornado shelter or building built with reinforced concrete. Also, find the best route to this shelter and practice how long it takes to get there.
During tornado warnings, move to the lowest level of a sturdy building. It is best to go to a basement, safe room or storm cellar. If unavailable, use an interior room or hallway without windows.
Stay out of damaged buildings until they have been inspected and cleared by a building official.

Watch vs. Warning

Tornado Watch: Conditions for a tornado are favorable. Stay alert about approaching storms.
Tornado Warning: A tornado has been reported or has been detected by the National Weather Service's weather radar. Seek shelter immediately.

Before a Tornado

Meteorologists can predict these violent forces of nature, but even with warning tornadoes can still be devastating. The best protection against them is by being prepared.

Purchase and configure an all-hazard weather radio, and have more than one way to get weather alerts.
Make sure preparedness kits are portable for easy transport if evacuation is necessary. Preparedness kits should be tailored to household needs.
Identify safe places to shelter. For optimal protection, choose basements, storm cellars and inner rooms away from doors, windows and outer walls.
If you live in a mobile or manufactured home, identify an alternative shelter location such as a single-family home, designated tornado shelter or building built with reinforced concrete. Also, determine the best evacuation route to this shelter and practice how long it takes to get there. When severe weather is in the forecast, check ahead that these locations are still available to you.
Review and practice your severe weather plans and those created by employers and local schools.
Tornadoes can occur at any time, and often happen at night. Conduct household tornado drills at various times during the day so everyone is prepared for the possibilities.

During a Tornado

Move to the lowest level of a sturdy building. It is best to go to a basement, safe room or storm cellar. If unavailable, use an interior room or hallway where there are no windows. Cover your head and neck with your arms. Blankets, pillows and furniture can provide additional protection.
If in a vehicle, the best choice is to get out and take shelter in a strong building. If no building is available, stay in the vehicle, keep your seatbelt on, lower your head below the window and cover your head and neck with your arms and a blanket.
Do not take shelter at bridges. Strong winds can cause damage to the structure and cause it to collapse, you are not protected from flying debris and vehicles stopped there can block roadways and prevent others from reaching real shelter.
Mobile or manufactured homes are not safe during a tornado, even if they are tied down. You are more than 15–20 times more likely to die in a mobile home than a permanent structure. When a tornado watch is issued, residents of these homes should leave immediately and find a shelter with a strong foundation instead.
If possible, bring pets indoors and secure them to prevent escaping.

After a Tornado

Tornadoes have the ability to destroy buildings, uproot trees and leave behind a large amount of dangerous debris. These tips can help you and others stay safe immediately following a tornado:

Stay out of damaged buildings until they have been inspected and cleared by a building official.
Help others, especially those who might be trapped or injured.
Reserve phone calls for emergencies. Phone wires may be damaged and have limited access.
Stay far away from downed power lines.
Be aware of possible gas leaks, so do not use matches or lighters.
Monitor radio, television, website or social media outlets for further instructions from local officials.

Websites

Tornado Safety
American Red Cross
Tornadoes
Ready.gov

Safe Rooms

In an average year, 800 tornadoes are reported nationwide, resulting in 80 deaths and more than 1,500 injuries. Protecting Hoosiers since 2015, the IDHS Safe Room Program has helped residents and communities statewide install hardened structures specifically designed to provide "near-absolute protection" in extreme weather events, like tornadoes.

Safe rooms provide a shield of protection, and studies demonstrate that they can survive winds as high as 250 miles per hour. Built above or below ground level, safe rooms are customizable. They can be small enough for a family to seek shelter or large enough for dozens of school students and staff to hunker down.

IDHS coordinates with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on the grant program to provide partial reimbursement for safe room projects. For more information on community and residential safe rooms, visit the Mitigation page.