Indiana kicks off Severe Weather Preparedness Week with a blunt message from the Department of Homeland Security: deadly storms are coming, and most Hoosiers are still not ready.
The state sees an average of 22 tornadoes a year, and the 2023-2024 season was one of the most active on record. Last year’s March 31 outbreak alone spawned 28 tornadoes across the state, killed one person in Winchester, and caused more than $200 million in damage.
Watches vs Warnings: The Taco Rule You’ll Never Forget
Indiana DHS Executive Director Jonathan Whitham used a perfect Midwestern analogy that everyone instantly gets.
“You can have all the ingredients for a taco spread out on the counter: meat, cheese, shell, lettuce. That’s a watch. Everything is there, it could happen. But when somebody actually assembles the taco and hands it to you, that’s the warning. Dinner is served, take cover now.”
A watch means conditions are ripe. A warning means the tornado is on the ground or radar-indicated and heading your way. You have minutes, not hours.
Sirens Don’t Work Inside Your House (Yes, Really)
Outdoor warning sirens are designed for people outside. If you’re binge-watching Netflix in the basement, you will not hear them.
DHS begs Hoosiers to have at least three ways to get alerts:
- Wireless Emergency Alerts on your phone (free, automatic, no sign-up)
- NOAA weather radio with battery backup (the gold standard)
- Local news apps with push notifications
During the March 14-15, 2025 outbreaks, people who relied only on sirens were caught off guard. Those with weather radios or phone alerts had 10-15 precious extra minutes.
The Safest Room in Your House Right Now
Basements are best. Most Indiana homes don’t have them.
Next best: an interior room on the lowest floor with no windows. Closet, bathroom, hallway, under stairs.
Never, ever shelter under a highway overpass. The wind tunnel effect makes it deadlier than being outside. DHS still finds people doing this every year.
If you’re driving and a tornado is coming, get to a sturdy building or lie flat in a ditch and cover your head.
Build Your Kit Today (Takes 15 Minutes)
DHS released its updated 2025 emergency kit checklist this morning. Here’s what they want every household to have right now:
- Water: one gallon per person per day for at least three days
- Food: non-perishable, three-day supply (don’t forget can opener)
- NOAA weather radio with extra batteries
- Flashlight and extra batteries
- First-aid kit and medications (seven-day supply)
- Whistle to signal for help
- Dust masks and duct tape
- Moist towelettes and garbage bags
- Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
- Local maps (your phone might be dead)
- Cash in small bills
- Pet food and extra water for pets
The agency added two new items for 2025: portable phone charger and printed family emergency contact list, because cell towers fail in major outbreaks.
Statewide Tornado Drill Wednesday: Treat It Like the Real Thing
At 10:15 a.m. and again at 7:15 p.m. Wednesday, every tornado siren in Indiana will sound for three minutes straight.
This is the real test. Schools, businesses, and hospitals will practice sheltering. DHS wants every family to do the same.
Grab your kids, your pets, your go-bag, and get to your safe place. Time yourself. Figure out what you forgot. Fix it before Saturday.
Because the next time the sirens go off, it probably won’t be a drill.
Indiana has entered its peak severe weather season. The atmosphere is already loaded with moisture and instability. Forecasters say the second half of March 2025 could be extremely active.
One Winchester family lost everything in 2023 because they thought they had more time. Another family two miles away survived in their hallway closet with helmets and mattresses because they had practiced exactly what DHS is begging you to do this week.
Your family gets to choose which story you want to be.
Take 15 minutes today. Pick your safe room. Build the kit. Download the alerts.
Because when the taco gets handed to you, it’s too late to start cooking.
What’s your biggest worry about severe weather? Drop your thoughts below and tag #INwx if you’re sharing prep photos this week.
