Lightning and Personal Safety
This article was originally published on April 11, 2006 and expired on June 30, 2006. It is provided here for archival purposes and may contain dated information.
As spring progresses and thunderstorms become more of a concern, we turn our eyes to the skies. Lightning reportedly kills an average of 67 people each year in the United States.
There are several considerations for protection from a lightning strike.
- When you see lightning, count the time until you hear thunder. If that time is 30 seconds or less, the thunderstorm is within six miles of you and is dangerous. Seek shelter immediately.
- Do not stand under or next to a tree. If you cannot get to an indoor location, crouch in the open, keeping twice as far from a tree as it is tall.
- If there is a group of people outdoors, keep several yards distance from each other. Unless well grounded, open pavilions or other small shelters will not provide adequate protection.
- Lightning can enter a building through a direct strike, through wires or pipes that extend outside the structure or through electrical, phone, plumbing and radio/television antennas. If you are indoors, avoid contact with corded phones or contact with electrical equipment. Also avoid contact with plumbing, and do not lie or lean on concrete floors and walls. Stay away from windows and doors, and stay off of porches.
- Typical surge protectors will not protect equipment from a strike. During a storm, appliances and electronic equipment, including antenna connections, should be unplugged to the extent possible.
If someone is struck by lightning, call 911 or other emergency services. Check the victim's breathing and pulse, and begin CPR if necessary and you are trained to do so.
Where lightning entered and left the body, burns may be present. In addition, other problems such as broken bones, loss of hearing or eyesight and other nervous system damage may be present. After being struck, the victim does not carry any residual charge, so a rescue person should not be afraid of being shocked.
For more information on lightning and lightning safety, go to the NOAA lightning web site at www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/overview.htm.
Source: Duane Friend, Extension Educator, Natural Resources Management, friend@illinois.edu
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