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Lightning Safety Information
When Lightning
Strikes
Seek a safe shelter
immediately!
If you're unable to find shelter in a building or residence that is
equipped with a lightning protection system, LPI suggests the following
safety guidelines:
Indoors
Stand clear
from windows, doors and electrical appliances.
Unplug
appliances well before a storm nears - never during.
Avoid
contact with piping including sinks, baths and faucets.
Do not
use the telephone except for emergencies.
Outdoors
Look for a shelter equipped with a lightning
protection system like those found at golf courses, public parks and
pools.
If you're
caught outside and unprotected:
Get in a hard
topped car.
Never
use a tree as a shelter.
Avoid
areas that are higher than the surrounding landscape.
Keep
away from metal objects including bikes, golf carts,
fencing, machinery, etc.
Avoid
standing near tall objects.
Immediately get out and away from pools, lakes and other bodies of water.
Spread
out - don't stand in a crowd of people.
If you
feel a tingling sensation or your hair stands on end, lightning may be
about to strike! Immediately crouch down and cover your ears. Do not
lie down or place your hands on the ground.
Victims of lightning shock
should be administered CPR if necessary, and seek medical attention
immediately.
Get off the water,
out of open spaces, and away from trees.
The two mostly deadly places you can be are in open spaces
or under trees. Avoid open spaces and trees during thunderstorms. Also
avoid things that conduct electricity such as water, utility lines, and
metal fences. Get to a safe place as quickly as you can. A substantial,
enclosed building is the safest place. A metal-topped vehicle with the
windows up is the next best alternative if you can't get to a building.
Boaters: Get off the water and go to a safe
place.
Swimmers: Get out of the water and go to a
safe place.
Players on open playing fields: Get off the
field and go to a safe
place.
Golfers: Leave the golf course and go to a
safe place, such as a
clubhouse.
Hikers: Turn around and go back to a
building or your metal-
topped vehicle.
Home Safety
During lightning or thunderstorms, televisions, computers, and other home
electronics are zapped by direct lightning strikes and power surges. A few
people die every year from lightning while talking on the phone. Here are
guidelines to keep you informed. You can:
Pay
attention to TV, radio, and online weather forecasts.
Subscribe to lightning notification services.
Scan
the skies 360 degrees around you and overhead.
Leave your expensive electronics unplugged (including modem phone lines)
during thunderstorm or lightning season except to use them
Be smart. Unplug your home
electronics before the thunderstorms or lightning arrive. Typically,
summer thunderstorms form mid-day to evening, while you're at work..
Unplug your TV, stereo, home entertainment centers, and computers before
you go to bed. During the summer thunderstorm season, you can keep your
expensive electronics unplugged, plug them in when you want to use them,
and then unplug them again when finished. Be sure to disconnect all wiring
to TV's and computers, including phone lines and cable connections.
Never touch wiring during a thunderstorm -- it's too late to unplug your
electronics if thunderstorms are close
If you count 30 seconds or
less from when you see lightning to when you hear thunder, you missed your
chance to unplug your home electronics. If you're in the lightning danger
zone, you should not touch any wiring, even just to unplug your home
electronics!
Lightning can travel from
outside your home -- and to you -- through materials that conduct
electricity, including electrical wiring, phone lines, water, and
plumbing. These safety guidelines will help minimize your risk.
When you first hear thunder, it's time to take precautions indoors
Inside, you may not see
lightning or hear thunder as you would outdoors. If you're inside and you
hear thunder or see lightning, it's time to take precautions. Continue
your indoor safety precautions for 30 minutes after you see the last
lightning or hear the last thunder.
Avoid using phones and only use cell phones or cordless phones
If you need to use the phone
corded phones are dangerous during thunderstorms. Lightning traveling
through the telephone wires has killed people. Cell phone and cordless
phones are a safer choice, but stand away from the cell or cordless
phone's power base. Be sure to keep your cordless and cell phones charged;
they may not work if your power goes out.
Wait to use any plumbing -- sinks, showers, tubs, and toilets
Plumbing can conduct
electricity from lightning strikes from outside your home to you.
Stop playing video games connected to your TV
Electronics equipment with
handsets, joysticks, and headsets connected by wiring to your TV,
computer, or stereo are dangerous during thunderstorms. Stop playing--and
stop your children from playing--video games connected to TV during
thunderstorms. The wiring creates a path for lightning to reach you from
outside your home.
Stay away from windows
Metal window frames can
conduct electricity. Windowpanes can break from acoustic shock of thunder,
wind-blown objects, or large-size hail.
Keep flashlights, battery-operated lights and radio ready to use
If power goes out, use
flashlights or battery-operated lights instead of candles. Candles are fire hazard.
Have a battery radio available so you can keep updated on
conditions. |
