#18,047
The Storm Prediction Center has issued a rare `high risk' for severe weather across much of Oklahoma, and parts of Kansas, for later today.
It has already been an active spring for severe storms (see below), with nearly 600 tornadoes reported since the 1st of the year. May is traditionally one of the strongest months for tornadoes, and so people in the warned areas should take these forecasts seriously.
For most Americans, a severe weather event is their biggest regional disaster threat; hurricanes, tornado outbreaks, blizzards, Derechos, and ice storms affect millions of people every year. Having a good (and well rehearsed) family emergency plan is essential for any disaster.
It is important for your plan to include emergency meeting places, out-of-state contacts, and individual wallet information cards - before you need it (see #NatlPrep : Create A Family Communications Plan).
Together with adequate emergency supplies, a solid first aid kit, emergency alerts on your cell phone or an emergency battery operated NWS Weather Radio, these steps will go a long ways to protecting you, and your family, from a wide variety of potential disasters.
As a Floridian I am more than aware that we are only weeks from the start of the Atlantic Hurricane season - and while the worst storms aren't expected until later in the summer - I'm already reviewing my hurricane preps.
Given the aggressive forecasts we've seen for the hurricane season ahead, anyone living within a couple of hundred miles of the Gulf or Atlantic coast should be doing the same.
From Escambia County Hurricane Preparedness Information
