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The alarm went off at 9:30 this morning and the ABC11 team was at the Northern Regional Center in Wake Forest with state leaders as their teams practiced the drill.
On average, North Carolina gets about 30 tornadoes every year with the month of May averaging the most tornadoes at five.
Last year the National Weather Service issued 107 tornado warnings for North Carolina and recorded 21 tornadoes.
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Ross Yaeger knows first hand how this could save lives.
"You can feel the change that the air pressure and I can hear glass breaking and it tore the roof off our house and are just sitting there with my family. I'm thinking now these are some some moments that you hope nobody goes through but you know when you have a plan you know what you're doing," he said.
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Make sure you also have an emergency kit with water and batteries and food.
Be sure to sign up for FEMA and emergency management alerts.
Also in Wake County you can sign up for Ready Wake alerts online.