It is important to prepare in advance for a severe storm or natural disaster. Gathering emergency kit items, having a communication plan in place and knowing when, how and where to take shelter saves lives. It is easy to be complacent about storms or think that they won’t strike close to home....

Seventeen-year-old Mary Gehrig was driving home from a friend’s house on a stormy June night. Around 25 minutes into her 30-minute drive, Gehrig turned onto the county road that would take her home. Although there was near-zero visibility due to the storm that turned much more severe than...