Top 9 Tips for Lightning Safety
- No Place Outside Is Safe Near Thunderstorms!
- Use The '30-30 Rule'!
- If the time between lightning and thunder is 30 seconds or less, go to a safer location
- If the lightning can't be seen, just hearing thunder means you should go to a safer location
- Wait at least 30 minutes after hearing the last thunder before leaving the safer location
- The Best Safer Location From Lightning Is A Typical House, Or Other Fully Enclosed Substantially Constructed Building With Plumbing And Wiring.
- You can be injured by lightning inside a house. Stay away from corded telephones, plumbing, electrical appliances, wires, TV cables, metal doors or metal window frames, or any electrical conducting path leading outside. Don't watch lightning through a window or open doorway. An inside room is generally best. The Second Best Safer Location From Lightning Is A Vehicle With A Solid Metal Roof And Metal Sides.
- But close the windows, and don't touch any conducting path leading outside
- Convertibles, motorcycles, bicycles, open shelled outdoor recreational vehicles, and cars with plastic or fiberglass roofs and sides offer no lightning protection. A common lightning myth is that the rubber tires protect you in a car by insulating you from the ground.
Wrong: lightning laughs at 2 inches of rubber! It's the metal that protects you.
- The top activities for lightning casualties in the U.S. are:
- Open Fields and Elevated Places
- Under Trees (or other tall isolated object)
- Water Related Activities (swimming, boating, fishing, etc.)
- Golfing
- Open Vehicles (farm, construction, etc.)
- Telephone
- Radio and Radio Equipment
- Outdoor Sports Have The Fastest Rising Lightning Casualty Rate! Coaches, referees, parents, and children PLEASE have a lightning safety plan!
- Open picnic pavilions and rain shelters offer absolutely no protection from lightning!
- When outside, appoint someone to be the lightning monitor. Their job is to use the '30-30 rule', weather radio, radio/TV, and observe the weather to tell the group when to seek proper shelter.
- Lightning First-Aid:
- Call 911
- Lightning deaths are from cardiac arrest/stopped breathing. Perform CPR or mouth-to-mouth resuscitation if possible.
- Don't worry about touching a lightning victim. They cannot electrocute you!
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