Lightning Safety Tips – exposure of my ignorance

Dawn and I went for a walk near West Chiltington two days ago, except we didn’t get very far before the sky behind us turned black indicating that a thunderstorm was imminent. We briefly discussed if the storm was moving towards or away from us, but as we could now hear the rumbles of thunder, we quickly retreated to the car and drove away from there.

The episode made me think of what to do if we ever got caught in a thunderstorm when out walking, so I ran an online search on lightning safety tips. Many of the tips I found, I already knew but these two great resources brought up a few things that I had not thought about:

• The National Severe Storms Laboratory
• The National Lightning Safety Institute

I know that many, if not all of you will be far more knowledgeable about what to do and not to do if caught outside in lightning, but I’m still going to list a few basic lightning safety tips here all based on the above resources. I’ll mark the ones I didn’t already know, so you can have a good laugh at my expense.

TIP NUMBER 1

In general, if you can hear the thunder or see the lightning, the storm is likely to be close enough for you to be in danger. You should seek safety as soon as possible in an enclosed building or if this is not possible in a hardtop vehicle. It is not the not the rubber tires of the vehicle that protects you, but the metal outer body, so soft tops are no good.

Cue to laugh – I honestly thought it was the rubber tires that protected you.

TIP NUMBER 2

Another rule of thumb is the 30/30 rule. Count the seconds between when you see the lightning till you hear the thunder, if you count 30 seconds or less you should seek safety. Once the thunderstorm is over, you should wait at least 30 minutes from the last lightning before you can safely go outside again.

Cue to shake your head at me – I did not know that you should wait 30 minutes before you go outside.

TIP NUMBER 3

You divide the above counted seconds by 5 to roughly work out the number of miles between you and the lightning – divide it by 3 for the number of kilometres, if you are more comfortable with the metric system.

Cue to get off your high horse – I knew this one.

TIP NUMBER 4

If you make it inside a building make sure you do not use and stay away from computers, telephones, TVs and other electrical appliances. Also stay away from windows, doors and water, so don’t have a shower or bath during a lightning storm.

Cue to bang your head against the wall – I knew to stay away from water, it was always a great excuse not to do the dishes when I was a kid. But I did not think about the fact that taking a shower would of course also be very silly.

TIP NUMBER 5

If you are caught outside in a lightning storm and cannot make it to a building or a car, then try to stay away from open spaces, high grounds, water (again), metal objects and tall objects such as trees and towers. So step away from your golfclub or metal walking stick.

Cue to give me a break – I knew this, but if I’ll remember to throw away my walking stick is another matter.

TIP NUMBER 6

If you cannot make it to safety, do not lie flat on the ground. Crouch down as low as possible with your feet together and your hands on your knees.

Cue to give up on me – I knew to make myself as small as possible, but not, although it makes perfect sense, that you shouldn’t lie flat on the ground.

TIP NUMBER 7

If caught outside, stay at least 5 metres (15 feet) away from other people.

Cue to stay far away from me, my ignorance might rub off – I’ve never thought of this.

TIP NUMBER 8

People that have been struck by lightning do not carry an electrical charge, so help them as soon as possible.

Cue not to count on me – I’ve always thought you should not touch someone that has just been struck by lightning.

Download

So there you have it, my ignorance laid out for you. I hope, you’ve had a good laugh! Now I do go walking frequently, and I wouldn’t want to forget important pieces of my newfound knowledge, if I’m ever caught in a thunderstorm. So to help me remember I made and printed a small card with some of the above information, which I intend to keep in my walking daypack.

I’ve also made the downloadable version below, which you are more than welcome to download (right-click and save image), if you think, you might find it useful.

Technorati Tags: lightning safety tips