This blog post explains why Illinois is being urged to take emergency preparedness seriously in 2025 after recording an unusually high number of tornadoes and other severe weather events.
It summarizes the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security (IEMA-OHS) guidance issued during National Preparedness Month, outlines practical steps households can take, and highlights resources to reduce financial and personal risk when disaster strikes.
Why Illinois needs renewed focus on preparedness
Illinois has already recorded 115 tornadoes in 2025, the highest total of any state so far this year.
Those twisters, combined with repeated severe storms, destructive straight-line winds and widespread flooding, mean many communities are facing repeated impacts in a single season.
Events like these often come with little warning.
That makes preparedness—not prediction—the most effective way to reduce loss of life and property.
The nature of the threat this year
The combination of tornadoes, straight-line winds and flooding presents multiple hazards simultaneously.
Tornadoes bring intense localized damage; straight-line winds can flatten neighborhoods over broader areas; and flooding can make recovery long and expensive.
Each hazard requires specific planning and insurance considerations.
Practical preparedness: what every household should do now
During National Preparedness Month officials emphasize simple, actionable steps that can be completed in a weekend but payoff for years.
These actions fall into three categories: planning, equipping, and insuring.
Start at home by identifying safe shelter locations, assembling emergency kits, and reviewing your insurance policies for gaps—especially flood coverage, which many homeowners do not carry.
Emergency kits and communication plans
IEMA-OHS offers checklists for both home and vehicle kits and a family communications plan to use if phone service fails.
Below are core items every household should include:
- Water and food: at least three days of water (1 gallon per person per day) and nonperishable foods.
- First aid and medications: a basic kit plus a 7–14 day supply of critical prescriptions.
- Tools and lighting: battery-powered or hand-crank radio, flashlights, extra batteries, and a basic multi-tool.
- Important documents: copies of IDs, insurance policies, and a household inventory in a waterproof container or encrypted digital backup.
- Special items: infant supplies, elder care essentials, and extra masks or sanitation supplies.
Equally important is a simple family communications plan: decide on two out-of-area contacts, establish meeting locations, and practice how to reconnect if cellular networks are down.
Pets and digital safety
Pets are family members and need their own emergency kit—food, water, vaccination records, and a carrier.
Digital safety guidance includes backing up photos and documents to cloud storage and maintaining offline copies of critical records.
Insurance review and low-cost preparedness measures
Acting Director Theodore (Ted) Berger emphasized that preparedness begins at home and includes reviewing insurance coverage.
Many families only discover they lack flood coverage after a disaster—by then it’s too late to secure affordable protection.
Flood insurance, proper documentation of valuables, and a family preparedness plan are cost-effective risk reduction measures.
IEMA-OHS resources and next steps
The Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security provide checklists, family communication templates, pet kit guidance, and digital safety tips.
Use National Preparedness Month as your deadline. Set a weekend to complete your kit, review policies, and talk through your plan with loved ones.
Here is the source article for this story: IEMA-OHS Recognizes National Preparedness Month As Severe Weather Events Increase in Number