If you’ve lived in Oklahoma for longer than five minutes, you know spring doesn’t just bring flowers. It can bring fierce winds, lightning, hail and the occasional tornado warning.

Severe weather can pop up quickly, and the best time to prepare is before the sirens start wailing.

Keep your storm prep kit in an easy-to-access location and check it each spring to replace expired items. Here are some items to include:

• Flashlights
• Extra batteries
• Portable phone chargers or power banks
• First aid kit
• Bottled water
• Nonperishable food
• Manual can opener
• Battery-powered or hand-crank radio
• Blankets and extra clothing

Storms can happen at any moment. If you experience an outage, report it to Central by calling 405-372-2884. Avoid downed power lines and always assume lines are energized.