TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - When severe weather strikes, you need to know what to do first.

Whether it's a simple thunderstorm or a tornado touchdown, different weather means you need to take action in different ways.

"So when you hear from your local media that the National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm warning or a tornado warning for your area, that's the time to take action."

Jason Puma is a meteorologist for the National Weather Service.

He says when weather strikes, you need to be ready.

But you can only be ready if you prepare before the storm rolls in.

"One key ingredient in keeping yourself and your family safe is having multiple ways of receiving warning information."

Puma says one of the best ways to stay informed is to have your own weather radio, along with access to social media, and even a battery powered radio.

You can even download the Storm Team 10 app because you never know when one method might fail.

"Having all these methods available are very important because very often if the power goes out, you can lose one of those. Or if a cell phone tower goes down and cell service goes out, you might lose that one."

So the moral of the story is, have as many ways to stay informed as you can.

The good news is, the National Weather service is having Storm Spotter classes coming up.

You can find all the info about those classes right here.