Along with the increase in natural disaster claims in recent years, insurance fraud has gone up by nearly 45% between 2011 and 2013. Having third-party documentation of all personal property eliminates the burden of proof should the unthinkable happen.

Here are eight steps you can take to create a tornado preparation and response plan.

(Photo: Goodluz/Shutterstock.com)

1. Document your home now, not when you’re under threat of a tornado.

If you’re under a tornado warning, you don’t have the time to do anything but get to safety. This isn’t the time to run around your house and snap pictures of book collections and jewelry boxes. Get to safety!

If a tornado hits your home, what’s the most important information that you documented? It would probably be your personal belongings, like family heirlooms. If you lose these priceless items in an instant because of a tornado, they cannot be replaced with any amount of money.

The first step in preparing for tornado season is documenting your home now. Our TWS Home Inventory team has created a free resource guide on "How to conduct a home inventory." This will give you helpful tips on how to correctly conduct your own personal property home inventory.

(Image: Bixsooz/Shutterstock.com)

2. Have a detailed response plan for getting your family to a safe place.

If the tornado sirens went off right now, where would you go? What would you take with you? Does your family know the safest place to brace for a coming tornado? Plan ahead of time to have everything you need in your designated safe place. Store bottles of water, blankets, flashlights, dry good snacks, and a first-aid kit in your safe room so the supplies are there if you need them.

(Photo: Production Perig / Shutterstock.com)

3. Designate a third-party check-in person in case of evacuation.

Unless a tornado comes in the middle of the night, it’s likely some of your family members won’t be home when a tornado approaches. Have a third-party person proactively designated as the emergency check-in in case of evacuation. If any of your family members need to be evacuated or seek shelter, they need to contact the check-in person at their first opportunity.

Our experience during the Waldo Canyon fire when 32,000 people were evacuated with only minutes notice emphasized the importance of this step. Don’t rely on local cell service as often the local systems will be overloaded. We saw panic as family members were unable to confirm the safety of loved ones and pleas by officials to remain off cell servers. The peace of mind gained by this simple step is truly the most valuable I can suggest.

Knowing all your loved ones are safe allows you to focus on other important things during a disaster. We strongly recommend that this person is someone who doesn’t live in your same general area, so they’re not also being evacuated or at risk.

(Photo: Thermchai/Shutterstock.com)

4. Create a waterproof box to keep important papers safe.

Collect any important papers and place them in a brightly colored, waterproof storage box or bin. Tornado damage can often cause flooding, which is why the container needs to be waterproof. These papers may include birth certificates, insurance policies and contact info, banking information, wills, and other personal documentation.

Store the box in your safe room during tornado season. This ensures your information is kept safe and secure without the unnecessary risk of someone running to grab the box on their way to safety. Once tornado season is over, you can relocate the box to a more permanent location.

(Photo: Minerva Studio/Shutterstock.com)

5. Don’t make the news!

If a tornado is bearing down on you, one of the worst decisions you can make is going outside to take a video or pictures of the tornado with your phone. Don’t be that person! You can watch the news later that evening where they’ll have plenty of professional footage of the tornado from a safe distance. Watch the news but don’t make the news because of a foolish decision. Remember, a tornado can touch down at any time and unless debris has been picked up it can be invisible.

(Photo:; Andrey Popov/Shutterstock.com)

6. Follow the weather in real-time.

In 2012 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s National Weather Service released the new Wireless Emergency Alert system. This service is free and automatic and uses the cellular location of your phone to give you relevant updates to your specific area. It’s available to WEA-enabled phones, which includes a vast majority of smartphones.

You can also download a variety of weather apps to track radar, view forecasts, and even stream weather broadcasts. Here’s a list of the 10 top weather apps available today.

Aftermath of category 4 tornado that touched down in Henryville, Ind., on March 2, 2012. (Photo: Alexey Stiop/Shutterstock.com)

7. If a tornado does affect your home, wait for the professionals to help.

If a tornado does damage or destroy your home, your safety is the first priority. Your insurance company does not want you to be documenting, assessing, or photographing the damage on your own. Let the professionals do their job. Redcross.org advises you to return home only when authorities say it's safe to do so.

Broken glass, sharp debris, flooding, and exposed wires are just a few of the dangers that tornadoes can cause in their wake. Don’t risk any unnecessary danger. Get to a safe place and then contact your insurance provider.

A home heavily damaged by an F2 tornado that swept through Oregon Twp in Lapeer County, Mich. on March 15, 2012. The house was lifted from its foundation. (Photo: Benjamin Simeneta/Shutterstock.com)

8. Know your insurance policy—and fill in any gaps.

In a tornado-prone area, wind and flood damage coverage are a necessity. The storms that generate tornadoes are often accompanied by heavy rain, flooding, hail, and high winds. Even if the structure of your home remains intact, wind and flood damage can each cause irreparable harm to your belongings.

[Related: Tornado! 6 tpes of insurance that can help you start over]

It's essential that all homeowners know their insurance policy inside and out. You should be aware of what kind of damage is covered as well as what kind of damage isn’t. Typical homeowner’s insurance plans do not cover flood damage even though according to floodsmart.gov, flood is the number one natural disaster in the United States. You should be comfortable with the terms of your policy. If you’re not satisfied, now is the time to contact your insurance agent to discuss any special riders or additional coverage for gaps in your current policy.