Maryland Department of Emergency Management and National Weather Service Encourage Preparedness and Tornado Drill Preparation
HANOVER, MD — April 6-12, will be recognized as Severe Storms Awareness Week (SSAW), a statewide initiative to help residents prepare for the wide range of dangerous weather hazards that impact Maryland each spring and beyond.
This year’s theme is “Be MdReady: Resilience Starts With You!” SSAW will once again include a Tornado Drill: The Great Maryland Twister Test. Each day of the week will highlight a different severe weather threat common to the region, along with safety guidance and reminders based on real events that have affected Maryland communities.
“Maryland residents, schools, businesses, and organizations are encouraged to review their emergency plans this week and participate in the tornado drill at 10 a.m. on Wednesday. “Now is the time for all Marylanders and visitors to take action,” said Maryland Secretary of Emergency Management, Russ Strickland. “Participate in The Great Maryland Twister Test, review your emergency plans, and set up multiple ways to receive alerts through the MdReady WebApp and local text notifications. Being prepared today can save lives, minimize disruption, and help our communities stay safe and recover faster when severe weather strikes.”
This year’s Severe Storms Awareness Week also marks the rollout of Maryland’s Resilient Maryland Strategy, a long-term roadmap for building resilience statewide. The Resilient Maryland Strategy serves as the State’s first comprehensive, whole-of-government roadmap to strengthen disaster and climate resilience, aligning and advancing Maryland’s many existing plans under a single, unified vision.
The strategy outlines 20 goals and 50 recommendations—31 of which can begin immediately using existing resources—across five key sectors: environment and natural systems, housing, community and local government capacity, food systems, and critical infrastructure.
It takes an all-hazards approach, addressing risks such as flooding, severe storms, and extreme heat, while accounting for the increasing impacts of climate change. “As a former local emergency manager, I know firsthand the weight of trying to protect a community while navigating a fragmented landscape of resources and rising risks,” said Maryland Chief Resilience Officer, Mike Hinson. “The strategy helps Maryland adopt a proactive, unified defense against disasters. It’s about ensuring that every jurisdiction—no matter how small—has the technical support and strategic backing to thrive in the face of disasters and climate change.”
“This strategy is a clear commitment to every Marylander that their government is prepared to adapt, withstand, and swiftly recover from any disruption to daily life,” said Maryland Chief Sustainability Officer, Meghan Conklin. “By moving beyond traditional silos and focusing on place-based strategies, we are ensuring that Maryland isn’t just surviving emergencies—such as those posed by climate change—but thriving in spite of them. We are building a state where our strategies are as inclusive as they are robust, with a relentless focus on safeguarding our most vulnerable communities.”
The strategy builds on and complements existing efforts—including the Next Generation Adaptation Plan, State Hazard Mitigation Plan, and Climate Implementation Plans—while going further to provide a streamlined, action-oriented framework. Ultimately, it ensures a more coordinated, proactive approach to resilience, helping protect Marylanders and communities from current and future hazards.
That coordinated approach to resilience comes to life during Severe Storms Awareness Week, with each day focused on a specific hazard:
- Monday, April 6: Flooding
- Tuesday, April 7: Damaging Winds
- Wednesday, April 8: Tornadoes & The Great Maryland Twister Test Tornado Drill
- Thursday, April 9: Hail
- Friday, April 10: Lightning
MDEM will be coordinating with the NWS Baltimore/Washington Weather Forecast Office, which covers most Maryland jurisdictions; our colleagues at NWS Mount Holly (PA), which covers Caroline, Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Talbot counties; and NWS Wakefield (VA), which handles Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester counties.
James E. Lee, Meteorologist in Charge of the National Weather Service Baltimore/Washington Forecast Office, noted that “a significant part of Maryland’s weather-related damage comes from severe thunderstorms and tornadoes.
The National Weather Service typically identifies these weather hazards minutes in advance, and immediately issues weather warnings for Marylanders to take action. It is vital that Marylanders receive our warnings quickly, and rapidly respond to get out of harm’s way. Maryland Severe Storms Awareness Week reminds people to develop their family weather safety plan, and practice this week in order to be ready.”
While residents and organizations practice preparedness on the ground, MDEM staff and partners reinforce training through exercises that strengthen coordination and response capabilities. Recent efforts have focused on State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) activation, information sharing, and resource coordination, using scenarios based on flooding, winter storms, and nuclear power plant incidents to reflect the range of hazards facing Maryland.
Such a training occurred this past Wednesday at MDEM headquarters, where MDEM staff led a Maryland Qualification System credentialing exercise using a tornado scenario, bringing together 15 participants, one observer, and 11 evaluators from organizations across the State. Participants were assigned to an Incident Management Team and evaluated on their ability to perform key roles and responsibilities during a simulated multi-operational period incident within an eight-hour operational period.
MDEM reminds Marylanders that our State faces a complex array of hazards—from the immediate risks of flash flooding and severe storms to the growing threats of extreme heat and cyber disruptions. Addressing these challenges requires more than just state-level planning; it requires a unified front.
Severe Storms Awareness Week reminds us that collaboration between emergency management professionals and every Maryland resident is what makes our State truly resilient. By preparing together, we ensure that everyone is #MdReady. Resilience Starts With You!
For more information, visit our Severe Storms Awareness Week page : https://mdem.maryland.gov/Pages/severe-storms-week.aspx. To find more preparedness information for severe storms and other hazards, please visit the following websites: mdready.maryland.gov/know-the-threats/Pages/default.aspx, weather.gov/safety, or ready.gov. Be sure to follow MDEM’s social media feeds on X (Twitter) (@MDMEMA), Facebook (facebook.com/MDMEMA), Linkedin (linkedin.com/company/maryland-department-of-emergency-management), Threads (threads.net/@mdmema) and Bluesky (@mdmema.bsky.social).