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Summertime is the peak season for one of the nation’s deadliest weather phenomena - lightning. According to the National Weather Service, 28 people in the United States were killed by lightning strikes in 2008. Forty-five people were struck and killed by lightning in 2007.
Of those who were killed by lightning in 2008:
Lightning Safety Week, promoted by the National Weather Service, is conducted during the last full week of June, every year. The purpose of the week is to help safeguard people from the hazards of lightning and to lower deaths and injuries caused by lightning strikes.
When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors!
Watch for Developing Thunderstorms. Thunderstorms are most likely to develop on spring or summer days but can occur year round. As the sun heats the air, pockets of warmer air start to rise and cumulus clouds form. Continued heating can cause these clouds to grow vertically into towering cumulus clouds, often the first sign of a developing thunderstorm.
An Approaching Thunderstorm: When to Seek Shelter. Lightning can strike as far as 10 miles away from where it is raining. That’s about the distance you can hear thunder. If you can hear thunder, you are within striking distance. Seek shelter immediately! When thunder roars, go indoors!
Outdoor Activities – Minimize the Risk of Being Struck. Most lightning deaths and injuries occur in the summer. During organized outdoor sporting events, coaches, camp counselors and other adults must stop activities at the first clap of thunder to ensure that everyone has time to get to a large building or enclosed vehicle. Leaders of outdoor events should have a written emergency plan that all staff are aware of and enforce.
Indoor Activities – Things to Avoid. While inside, stay off land lines or corded phones, computers and other electrical equipment that put you in direct contact with electricity. Stay away from indoor and outdoor pools, bathtubs, showers, and other plumbing. Buy surge suppressors for key equipment. Install ground fault protectors on circuits near water or outdoors. When inside, wait 30 minutes after the last sound of thunder and lightning before going out again.
Helping a Lightning Strike Victim. If a person is struck by lightning, call 911 and get medical care immediately. Cardiac arrest and irregularities, burns and nerve damage are common injuries when people are struck by lightning. You are not in physical danger when helping a lightning victim. Knowing first aid measures, which include cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), can help lightning-strike victims survive. American Red Cross chapters and local fire departments often offer first aid and CPR classes.
Summary: Lightning is dangerous. By knowing what to do during severe weather incidents, you can greatly increase your safety and the safety of those around you. At the first clap of thunder, go inside a preferably large building or fully enclosed vehicle and wait 30 minutes after the last sound of thunder and lightning before going back outside. Remember: When thunder roars, go indoors!
Safe Shelter from Storms - A house or other substantial building offers the best protection from lightning. For a shelter to provide adequate protection from lightning, it must contain a mechanism for conducting the electrical current from the point of contact to the ground. These mechanisms may be on the outside of the structure, or contained within the walls of the structure, or a combination of the two. On the outside, lightning can travel along the outer shell of the building or follow metal gutters and downspouts to the ground. Inside, lightning can follow conductors such as electrical wiring, plumbing and telephone lines to the ground.
Unsafe Sheltering - Unless specifically designed to be lightning safe, small structures do little, if anything to protect people from lightning. Many small, open shelters on golf courses, parks and athletic fields are designed to protect people from rain and sun, but not lightning. A shelter that does not contain plumbing or wiring throughout, or some other mechanism for grounding from the roof to the ground is not safe. Small wooden, vinyl or metal sheds offer little or no protection from lightning and should be avoided during thunderstorms.
Protect Your Pets - Outside dog houses are not lightning-safe. Dogs that are chained to trees or wire runners can easily fall victim to lightning strikes. You may want to consider bringing your pets inside the home or garage during thunderstorms.
According to the Insurance Information Institute (III), in 2007 the insurance industry paid over $942 million for damages caused by lightning. The average cost of a lightning-related claim was $5,321. Even though the number of lightning claims decreased, the average cost per claim continues to rise as more homeowners purchase wide-screen TVs, computers and other expensive electronic devices. Click here to learn more about the cost of lightning strikes from the Insurance Information Institute.
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