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May Safety Newsletter (Sign up here to get upcoming newsletters - FREE!)
Lightning Safety – Do NOT Run For the Hills!
Summer is almost here and people are already starting to spend lots of time enjoying the outdoors. It is also the time of year when thunderstorms, tornados and lightning are frequent occurances.
This newsletter is too short to cover all three so we’ll focus on staying safe when lightning is likely. Click here to see a map of lightning strikes in the last two hours!
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Every year about 100 people are killed by lightning in the U.S. About 300 more are injured – many seriously. The most likely victims are outdoor workers, golfers and people fishing but the rest of us are vulnerable as well. The good news is, the rules are pretty simple….
According to the National Weather Service, no place is 100% safe but there are some that are better than others. The best place to be when lightening strikes is inside a large, enclosed building. Schools, homes, office buildings and malls are the safest places to weather a lightening storm because they are surrounded by wiring and plumbing that carry electrical currents into the ground.
Our first instinct when a storm rolls in is to get under some sort of shelter and stay dry but safety experts say that could backfire.
These buildings are absolutely unsafe: picnic and golf shelters, baseball dugouts, patios, carports and open garages. This list goes on but the general rule is, if the building doesn’t have plumbing or electricity, it is unsafe in a lightning storm.
As much as you would like to crawl in to stay dry during a wild storm, a tent is NEVER safe!!
Hard-topped cars are safe places as long as you stay inside, close doors and windows and don’t touch any metal surfaces. Convertible cars are not considered safe – even with the top up.
Unfortunately, sometimes we get caught away from strong shelters, at a Little League game, jogging, biking or at the beach. Your two best choices in these situations are to get to your car or into an enclosed building like a restroom and wait it out.
The NWS says if there are less than 30 seconds between the time you see lightning and hear the thunder, you should be inside.
Here are some tips from the National Lightning Safety Institute:
- Plan in advance your evacuation and safety measures. When you first see lightning or hear thunder, activate your emergency plan. Now is the time to go to a building or a vehicle. Lightnining often precedes rain, so don’t wait for the rain to begin before suspending activities.
- If Outdoors…Avoid water. Avoid the high ground. Avoid open spaces. Avoid all metal objects including electric wires, fences, machinery, motors, powertools, etc. Unsafe places include underneath canopies, small picnic or rain shelters or near trees. Where possible, find shelter in a substantial building or in a fully enclosed metal vehicle such as a car, truck or a van with the windows completely shut. If lightning is striking nearby when when you are outside, you should:
- Crouch down. Put feet together. Place hands over ears to minimize hearing damage from thunder.
- Avoid proximity (minimum of 15 ft.) to other people.
- If Indoors…Avoid water. Stay away from doors and windows. Do not use the telephone. Take off head sets. Turn off, unplug, and stay away from appliances, computers, power tools, & TV sets. Lightning may strike exterior electric and phone lines, inducing shocks to inside equipment.
- Suspend activities for 30 minutes after the last observed lightning or thunder.
- Injured persons do not carry an electrical charge and can be handled safely. Apply First Aid procedures to a lightning victim if you are qualified to do so. Call 911 or send for help immediately.
- Know your emergency telephone numbers.
To find out everything you every wanted to know about lightning – and then some – visit the National Weather Service lightning education area. You’ll find much more detailed advice for campers, hikers & climbers, cyclists and motorcycle riders – all groups that spend lots of time out in the open.
The NWS web site also features a fantastic lightning photo gallery. Click here to see more of these beautiful pictures!
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