KOKOMO, Ind. -- While the state of Indiana tested its tornado sirens twice on Tuesday, Howard County, Indiana tested its mass alert system -- Everbridge.
Kokomo is more aware than most about how destructive weather can be.
"People pay more attention to the weather when it's coming in and pay more attention to the alerts that are coming in," Gary Bates, Howard County's 911 communications director, said. "They take it more seriously."
In August, several tornadoes touched down in Howard County, leaving multiple houses and businesses destroyed.
INTERACTIVE MAP | The 8 tornadoes in central Indiana
A tornado left a devastating mess for Sherry Huff to clean up.
"Things are kind of back to normal," Huff said. "I have some yard work and stuff I still want to do."
She has rebuilt her garage, replaced her roof and even added a storm shelter in her backyard. Huff said she is taking emergency preparedness more seriously now.
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Some of her neighbors left the area after the tornadoes, replaced by new neighbors like Joel Rank.
"You have to be prepared," he said. "I take it completely seriously because it just comes and goes within a second and then everything is gone."
