PCI survey: Tornado season is coming, but most Midwesterners are not prepared

In the 1996 film “Twister,” Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton are two storm chasers trying to invent a better warning system for tornadoes, motivated by the trauma for Hunt’s character of having lost her parents when a twister struck without warning. The rapid pace at which tornadoes and damaging wind storms can occur makes advance preparation critical for residents in the Midwest, especially those in the area called “Tornado Alley.”

Many residents in these areas feel like Hunt’s character: unprepared. The Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) encourages homeowners, renters and business owners to plan in advance where they will take cover and maintain an emergency storm kit, at a minimum.