There are undoubtedly more urgent dangers than being hit by a lightning : The chance of being hit is less than one in a million, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Lightning, however, occasionally strikes humans, as some recent cases have made clear.
On Friday (19), lightning killed a mother who was picking up her son from a school in Florida, in United States . And in early August, lightning killed three people sheltering under a tree near the White House in Washington.
So far, 14 people have died from lightning strikes in the U.S. in 2022, according to the National Weather Service — up from 11 deaths in 2021.
But these are small groups, considering the country’s population numbers over 300 million and the average of more than 25 million lightning strikes in the US a year, the weather service points out. It’s also worth noting that 90% of lightning victims survive.
Still, here are some things you can do to lessen your chances of getting hit by one.
“When you hear thunder, go indoors”
The National Weather Service has a simple but effective slogan: “When the thunder roars, go indoors.”
As soon as you hear thunder, see lightning, or the sky looks ominous, you should get home as soon as possible.
“The most important thing is that you’ll be safe inside a large, substantial building or a fully enclosed metal vehicle,” Ron Holle, meteorologist and lightning safety expert at the National Lightning Safety Council, told CNN .
“Anywhere outside of these two locations is not safe.”
A substantial building means a structure with proper wiring and plumbing, Holle explained. Tents, sheds, sheds and picnic shelters are not safe from lightning.
This is because when lightning strikes a house or other building, it travels through plumbing and wiring to grounded rods that safely funnel all that electricity into the earth. A smaller tent or shelter does not provide this protection.
If you hear thunder while camping or on the beach without access to a large building, seek shelter in your vehicle immediately.
You must wait 30 minutes from the last time you heard thunder to get out of your vehicle, according to the weather service.
Motorcyclists or cyclists who hear thunder should stop at a safe building and also wait up to 30 minutes since the last rumbling.
Avoiding lightning inside the house
Okay, so you heard thunder and entered a proper building. Good news: “You are infinitely safer on the inside than on the outside,” reassures Holle.
The next step is to close windows and avoid using wired electrical devices, as instructed by the National Weather Service.
“You don’t want to be tied down to the wiring and plumbing, like when you hold a corded phone or hold an appliance the moment lightning strikes the house,” Holle explained. “Having your hands stuck under running water in the sink or bathtub” also poses a risk, she added.
You should also stay away from porches, porches, garages, windows and doors to the outside, says the weather service.
And if the outside isn’t safe for humans during a storm, it isn’t safe for pets either. Get your pets inside as soon as possible when you hear thunder.
Dog houses do not offer protection from lightning and dogs tied to trees are in particular danger, the agency stresses.
Reschedule the boat trip for another day
Most large boats with cabins are quite safe during a storm, according to the weather service. Small boats without a cabin are another story.
“The vast majority of lightning injuries and boat deaths occur on small boats without a cabin,” clarifies the institution. “It’s crucial to listen to the weather information when you’re navigating.”
The service advises people not to ride a boat when thunderstorms are forecast. If you hear thunder while in the water, you should return to shore as quickly as possible – and ideally stay at least 100 meters from it.
If you can’t make it to shore, you should anchor, go down as low as possible and stay inside the cabin – and stay away from metallic surfaces like the radio you might be using to track the weather in the first place.
But if you’re not on the boat — or the boat doesn’t have a cabin — it’s better to stay in deep water during the storm than to return aboard, according to the weather agency.
One last resort: staying safe outdoors
A key strategy to avoid lightning is awareness and planning.
Read the weather forecast and know if there is a forecast of thunderstorms in the places you will be. Plan your schedule to avoid being outdoors when thunderstorms are forecast. Professional lightning detection equipment can also be used to alert you when lightning is approaching.
“If you’re outside, you’re highly vulnerable to lightning,” says Holle.
If staying indoors isn’t possible, there are still a few things that can lessen the risk a bit.
In a storm, avoid open fields, the top of a hill, or the top of a ridge. Likewise, you should stay away from tall, isolated objects such as trees and immediately leave any bodies of water. Of course, you should also avoid wet or metallic items that can conduct electricity.
Low areas like valleys and ravines are a safer bet. If you are in a group, spread out to prevent any current from flowing between people, warns the weather service. And don’t lie on the floor.
Still, Holle noted that the evidence for many of these lightning prevention strategies is still unclear.
The most important thing is to get in: almost all lightning deaths in the US in recent decades have occurred outside, he stresses.
Lightning around the world
“Most people in the US have a lightning-proof building or vehicle very close by, and they just have to go there,” Holle said. “This is not the case for millions of people around the world.”
As of 2016, the world’s top lightning hotspot was Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela. But Africa is the continent with the most such hotspots, according to NASA, with six of the 10 most likely places for lightning strikes in the world found there. Most are lakes, including Lake Victoria, which overlaps Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.
Holle is working with an organization called ACLENet that aims to decrease deaths, injuries and property damage from lightning across Africa. The organization is based in Uganda, where deaths still occur regularly for people who live in homes with no wiring or plumbing.
They advocate better education on lightning safety and the installation of functional protection systems in schools and other buildings.
Surviving a Lightning
Although the vast majority of lightning victims survive, the effects can be severe and long-lasting.
Survivors suffered debilitating injuries, burns and ongoing disability, including symptoms such as seizures and memory loss.
If someone around you is struck by lightning, call 911 immediately.
People who have been struck by lightning don’t carry an electrical charge, according to the CDC — so it’s safe to touch and move them. Take them indoors if possible. The victim’s heart or breathing may have stopped and he or she may need CPR.
Source: CNN Brasil
I’m James Harper, a highly experienced and accomplished news writer for World Stock Market. I have been writing in the Politics section of the website for over five years, providing readers with up-to-date and insightful information about current events in politics. My work is widely read and respected by many industry professionals as well as laymen.
