Lightning Dangers Indoors and Outdoors

Around 2000 people are killed per year from lightning strikes. This is not including the hundreds of people that survive being struck, but suffer the rest of their lives from various ongoing symptoms. Lightning strikes not only occur outside, but can also reach you indoors, inside your own home.

There are several preventative measures you can take to assure your safety during a thunderstorm. If you happen to be outdoors when lightening strikes, get as far away from anything tall such as trees, roofs, and hills. You should also avoid water and metal. If possible, get inside of a car or a grounded building. If you are unable to get inside, crouch down as low to the ground as you can. This does NOT mean to lie on the ground. If you lie on the ground, it is still very possible for the lightning currents to reach your body. Many people have been killed in this manner.

If you are inside during a storm, you may think you are safe, but there are various things in your own home that you should stay clear of. You should avoid taking showers and baths and washing dishes because the pipes are made of metal, which attracts lightning. Lightning is also attracted to wet objects. Therefore, the combination of metal piping which the current can flow through and you taking a wet shower or bath or washing wet dishes is very dangerous.

Another common object you should avoid is the telephone. This is because just like trees, the telephone poles are tall and attract lightning. Therefore, if struck, the current can flow through the pole to whatever is attached to it, that being your ear, which is attached to your entire body.

Sometimes it is possible to know that you are being hit by lightning if you pay attention to the warning signs. These include feeling like your hair is standing on the back of your neck and possibly feeling a tingling sensation. Some people have said their bodies feel like when you separate a sock full of static from a towel in the dryer.

If you pick up on these sensations, drop to the ground and get as low as you can. If for some reason, there is a ditch nearby, roll into it, do not run. Rolling is a better option because you will be lower to the ground, farther away from the lightning. If possible, roll in something wet because if the lightning has already reached you, this may help to cancel out some of the charge. It is also very important that you let go of anything metal that you might have been in contact with, even if it is just a small gardening tool. Remember that metal attracts lightning.

When it comes to thunderstorms, you can never be careful enough. One strike could kill you. Therefore, it is best to take these preventative measures. It has even been said that you should not go outside until thirty minutes has passed since the last time you saw lightning or heard thunder, because lightening has actually struck people that were up to ten miles away.

Sources:
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles/carlson37.html
http://green.nationalgeographic.com/environment/natural-disasters/lightning-profile.html?source=G2305
http://www.piepalace.ca/blog/2006/06/lightning-in-ottawa.html