Lightning Safety Checklist
Be Aware and Avoid the Risk
Plan ahead and don’t take chances. Know where you’ll go if an unexpected thunderstorm develops. Monitor weather conditions and be prepared to take immediate action to get to a safe place before the thunderstorm arrives.
If you are indoors during a thunderstorm-
- Stay off the telephone. Telephone lines can conduct electricity.
- Unplug televisions, computers and other appliances. Lightning can cause power surges and travel through electric lines.
- Stay away from running water in faucets, sinks and bathtubs. Electricity from lightning has been known to come inside through plumbing.
- Close the blinds and shades of your windows, then keep away from them.
- Listen to weather advisories on a battery-powered radio. Obey advisories promptly.
If you are outdoors during a thunderstorm-
- If you are boating or swimming, get to land, get off the beach and find a safe place immediately. Stay away from rivers, lakes and other bodies of water. Water is an excellent conductor of electricity. When lightning strikes nearby, the electrical charge can travel through the water as well as the ground.
- Go to safety in a substantial, permanent, enclosed structure, such as a reinforced building. A sturdy building is the safest place to be. Avoid unprotected gazebos, rain or picnic shelters, golf carts, baseball dugouts and bleachers.
- If there are no reinforced structures in sight, get into a car or bus. Keep car windows closed and avoid convertibles. Rubber-soled shoes and rubber tires provide no protection from lightning. The steel frame of a hard-topped vehicle provides increased protection if you are not touching metal. Practice the Hands on Lap rule.
- If you are in the woods, find an area protected by a low clump of trees. Never stand under a single, large tree in the open.
- As a last resort- if no structure is available, go to a low-lying, open place. Stay away from tall things-trees, towers, fences, telephone poles, power lines. Be aware of the potential for flooding in low-lying areas.- if you feel your hair stand on end, lightning is about to strike. Squat low to the ground on the balls of your feet. Place your hands over your ears and bend your head down. Make yourself the smallest target possible. Do not lie flat on the ground-you will be a larger target and put more of your body into contact with an excellent conductor of electricity: wet ground.
If lightning strikes a person-
- Call for help. Get someone to dial 9-1-1 or your local number for Emergency Medical Services (EMS). A person who has been struck by lightning needs medical attention as quickly as possible.
- Give first aid. If the person has stopped breathing, begin rescue breathing (if you are properly trained). If the person’s heart has stopped beating, someone trained in CPR should administer it. If the person has a pulse and is breathing, look and care for other possible injuries.
- Check for burns. The injured person has received an electric shock and may be burned. Being struck by lightning can also cause damage to the nervous system, broken bones and loss of hearing or eyesight.
- Move the victim to a safer place. Remember, people struck by lightning carry no electric charge, and they can be handled safely
To get safety alerts, follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/redcrosscde
Tags: Community Disaster Education, lightening, lightening safety, preparedness
