INDIANAPOLIS -- State officials are making their annual plea this week for Indiana residents to prepare themselves for the possibility of severe weather.

Gov. Mitch Daniels has proclaimed March 14 through 20 as Severe Weather Preparedness Week in Indiana.

The goal is to remind Hoosiers of the dangers of flooding, severe thunderstorms and fast-developing tornadoes, and how they can protect themselves and their families.

"We've had tornadoes in January. We've had them in November. So we know that severe weather can happen at any time, any place, to anybody, and we want people to be ready all the time," Debbi Fletcher with Marion County Emergency Management told 6News' Jennifer Carmack.

Cheri Ramsey understands the importance of being prepared for severe weather. A tornado touched down near her Indianapolis home in May of 2004.

"I took it serious then, but I didn't know it was going to hit that quick," said Ramsey, who made it to her basement before the twister hit. "(Afterward) when I looked out, all of the trees were gone and rooted way out of the ground."

Because tornadoes hit so fast, experts encourage Hoosiers to have an emergency plan in place.

"The more often you do something … the better off you will be, the faster you will be able to act when you need to," Fletcher said.

This week's events will include a statewide test of the state's tornado sirens (List: Marion County Warning Siren Locations) and other communications systems on Wednesday morning and Wednesday evening.

That test will be conducted by the National Weather Service in conjunction with Indiana State Police, the state Department of Homeland Security, the Indiana Broadcasters Association and other groups.

RTV6 will be airing several special stories this week about the various weather hazards during the spring.

Forecasters: Spring Setup Could Be Rocky In Indiana

Forecasters are worried that the weather setup this spring could lead to more severe weather in Indiana than normal.

The severe weather season was relatively quiet across Indiana in 2009, with only 11 tornadoes confirmed in Indiana, compared to 20 the state usually sees a year.

"Last year was a very, very inactive season, and it's very unlikely that we will see two inactive seasons in a row," said Joseph Nield, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. "We should certainly expect activity to ramp up, as it does climatologically every year at this time."

Just the year before, massive flooding that gripped the southern half of the state was preceded by several rounds of severe weather.

A tornado swooped through a portion of Indianapolis, heavily damaging an apartment complex and some businesses.

Slideshow: May 2008: Storms Leave Significant Damage

Forecasters think that if a wetter-than-normal pattern that persisted across the Midwest during the winter continues, there could be more severe weather than normal during the spring months.

More Information:

Tornado Safety Tips

Marion County Warning Siren Locations