The first large tornado outbreak I remember in Indiana was April 11, 1965.  I was 13 years old and recall prime-time television being interrupted – that signaled whatever this was, it was very important.

The twisters, in what was coined the Palm Sunday tornados, killed 271 people in six states, including Indiana.  Tornado Watches and Warnings happened all the time, so there was no indication from any news source or weather forecasters in advance that this system was particularly dangerous.

Weather forecasting has come a long way since 1965.  Forecasters were sounding the alarm bell that this December storm system had danger written all over it.

The most recent tornado event is so very heartbreaking.  Watching video of Mayfield, Kentucky, a town with not a lot of buildings left standing after the tornado ripped through, was tough.  There was a candle factory in Kentucky that claimed too many lives.  There was an Amazon facility in Illinois, not far from St. Louis, that trapped employees, with many confirmed dead and a number of others missing as of this writing.

All I can say is that those of us living in and around Fishers were lucky, very lucky.  Those storm systems were too close for comfort.

I began to ask myself, has the weather of recent years become more violent?  If so, is there a reason for this, such as climate change?  According to an Associate Press story citing many scientists expert in this field, there is no clear answer.  That story does say one thing for certain – the atmospheric conditions were perfect for some horrible December weather.

All we can do now is help our midwestern neighbors badly in need of assistance.  Indiana quickly sent a rescue unit to look for any possible survivors buried in the rubble.

Another thing different between 1965 and now – we have much more advanced weather warning systems.  Many lives may have been saved, but when a monster storm like this hits in the middle of the night, not everyone gets the word on time.

Also, be on the lookout for scam artists setting up fake charities to help the tornado victims.  If you want to help, ABC News has put together a list of legitimate places where you can contribute at this link.