New research suggests Americans consider tornadoes to be the scariest of all natural disasters.

Conducted by Talker Research and commissioned by MasterLock, the survey of 2,500 Americans split evenly by U.S. region found that, regardless of where they live, the threat of a tornado (46 percent) is more terrifying than a tsunami (43 percent), earthquake (35 percent) or hurricane (33 percent).

Northeasterners reported they were highly confident they were prepared for a heatwave or drought (68 percent) and even a blizzard (63 percent).

Despite their relatively new frequency in the Northeast, only 42 percent share the same sentiment when it comes to earthquakes.

Even fewer (38 percent) reported feeling prepared for a tornado.

Almost two-thirds of Midwesterners (62 percent) don’t bat an eye when faced with a tornado warning, but that confidence wanes when thinking about a wildfire (33 percent) or mudslide (27 percent), the survey showed.

Though flash flooding has increased across the nation, only 43 percent of all Americans polled feel prepared for this type of weather event should it hit their area.

The survey asked respondents what it takes to be a “disaster veteran,” someone who is unshakably prepared for the worst or has been through enough to be prepared for anything. Only 14 percent of respondents consider themselves to be a “disaster veteran,” (with 19 percent of that total based in the Southeast specifically), a majority have experienced a natural disaster firsthand, in their own community or while traveling.

For those who have lived through a natural disaster, the average person has faced four different events in their lifetime.

The top three aspects of a natural disaster that respondents weren’t prepared for included losing power for an extended period of time (47 percent), witnessing the destruction (39 percent) and the time it takes to get back to “normal” (36 percent), even outranking the need to quickly grab important items (25 percent) and the financial implications of rebuilding (19 percent).

Regardless of their personal experience, half of the respondents (51 percent) noticed that severe weather is becoming more common, with 37 percent believing that severe weather is increasing in strength.

Four in five (80 percent) are more aware of natural disasters and severe weather than they were a decade ago. However, three in five (61 percent) agree that it’s harder to be prepared for natural disasters today than ever before.

“According to the results, 31 percent of those who’ve lived through a natural disaster have lost important items, documents, or both, during severe weather. No matter how prepared you think you are, you must take proactive steps to help ensure you are ready, which includes reviewing and updating a preparedness plan and having items on hand, such as fireproof safes. It can make all the difference,” said JP Benjamins, senior director of Category Management at Master Lock.

Upon first learning that severe weather is heading their way, 21 percent of respondents collect their family and pets and evacuate the area. Others (14 percent) head to a “safe” area or start preparing their home, and 11 percent grab important items on the way out.

About half of the respondents (46 percent) were able to correctly identify the difference between a severe weather “watch” and a “warning.”

On a typical day, Americans check their weather app an average of three times, but when severe weather is possible, that number jumps to about five times per day, the survey found.

About 30 percent of Americans polled don’t have any preparedness plans in place in the event of a natural disaster. Only 28 percent have planned for a tornado, and fewer are ready for a heatwave (22 percent), hurricane (21 percent) or flash flood (19 percent).

“Results found that only 17 percent of respondents keep their important documents and valuable items in a water or fireproof safe, underscoring a lack of preparedness when it comes to natural disasters,” said Benjamins. “As the weather landscape continues to evolve, purchasing a fireproof or waterproof safe that is certified by Underwriters Laboratories (or UL-classified) offers an extra line of defense to help protect those items in this unpredictable weather environment.”