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Safety thought's
Here are a couple of safety facts that need to be update. You may see wrong info on many sites, from NOAA, NWS, FEMA, III, NLSI, and many others. I firmly believe they are wrong. Some of it is old web pages that need to be updated, but most are not.
The 30-30 Rule: It was the first step in modern lightning safety and became the first slogan somewhere around the late 90’s. The idea of counting to determine how far away a storm is based on the speed of sound and is accurate. The problem is that the public mistook it to mean, “if it’s 30 seconds or less go inside”, while it really meant you should be inside by then. So what we say is “COUNT INSIDE” . If you can hear it or see it you are already too close, a bolt can easily be 10 to 12 miles long or longer. Stay inside for 30 minutes is still the right thing to do.
The lightning crouch: It was developed by people in the government to give people something to do, even if there is nothing they can do. NO PLACE OUTSIDE IS SAFE IN A THUNDER STORM.
A NWS employee in Colorado wrote a paper showing that in a perfectly flat world, reducing your height reduces your chances of being struck. Well a pebble or a blade of grass changes the whole thing, there is no such thing as a perfectly flat world. Also, if you look at last year’s stats, very few if any took a direct strike, they were all ground strikes. The safest thing to do, is spread out and keep moving. Even though spreading out increases the chances of being struck, it insures that if someone is struck, they will be others around to give first aid.
Turn stuff off: I have never been able to figure out what this is supposed to do.
Unplug stuff: If you unplug something a lay the plug on the ground near the wall socket, the lightning can easily jump from the socket to the plug. How many things are you going to unplug, ( tv’s, cable, computers, game stations,freezer with meat downstairs,), how long would it take to do it. WHEN are you going to unplug stuff, when are you going to plug it back in. If they watch the news to unplug stuff, how are they going to know when it is safe to plug it back in. People are going to unplug stuff when they hear the thunder, which is the worst time to do it. Just let everything alone, it’s all insured and not worth a life or injury, these injuries are life long. There was an injury outside of Boston of a teen when he was unplugging something, yet they still tell people to unplug stuff. NO one has been struck in an indoor pool, (but the possibility exists), so indoor pools are cleared, as they should be. What am I missing?
Please think things through and use you common sense. Lightning safety in not rocket science, it is plain and simple.
If you have questions or comments please contact me.
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Lightning safety has evolved over the years so now when we talk about the 30-30 Rule, instead of standing outside and counting, go inside and count. When Thunder Roars Go Indoors !
The ‘Lightning Squat or Crouch’ is no longer taught since it probably does nothing and give a false sense of security.
5 Levels of Lightning Safety
• Schedule out door activities to avoid lightning.
• Know when & where to be in a safe place. When you hear thunder go to a safe place & stay there for 30 minutes after last thunder.
• Avoid dangerous locations/activities (elevated places, open ares, tall isolated objects) & water related activities ( swimming, boating, near water) DO NOT GO UNDER TREES !
• Last minute risk reduction, including the ‘lightning crouch’ is a joke & probably does nothing at all. THERE IS NO PLACE SAFE OUTSIDE IN A THUNDER STORM
• First Aid: Immediately start CPR !
• If you do not follow the 1st 5, call Coroner & Priest
In 2008 there were 329 people struck in the USA, with 302 injured and 27 killed. 74 (7 killed) were under trees, 29 in yards, 16 (3) on the beach, 12 (2) in the water and 10 (1) camping in or near tents.
27 Fatalities: All were outside, 22 males & 5 females. One child (6 years old), 7 teens and 19 adults.
302 Injuries: There were 176 adults, 62 teens and 15 children injured, 201 males and 60 females. 184 were outside and 13 were inside. The busiest day was Wednesday, July 23 with 7 incidents injuring 10 people. There were 14 injuries on both July 27 and October 31. The breakdown by day is Sunday 66, Saturday 47, Tuesday 46, Thursday 41, Wednesday 38, Friday 36 , & Monday with 27.
06-Jun-09
Leon the Lightning Lion
Struckbylightning.org is happy to announce a partnership with NOAA, the LPI and the LSA in creating and promoting Leon the Lightning Lion, a safety mascot for the Lightning Protection Industry. Leon will be used to promote lightning safety in our ongoing program to educate children.
