...LIGHTNING AND LIGHTNING SAFETY...AN OVERVIEW...

IN THE UNITED STATES...THERE ARE AN ESTIMATED 25 MILLION CLOUD TO
GROUND LIGHTNING FLASHES EACH YEAR.  WHILE LIGHTNING CAN BE
FASCINATING TO WATCH...IT IS ALSO EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.  EACH ONE OF
THOSE 25 MILLION FLASHES IS A POTENTIAL KILLER.  BASED ON DOCUMENTED
CASES FOR THE 30 YEAR PERIOD FROM 1974 TO 2003...LIGHTNING KILLED AN
AVERAGE OF 66 PEOPLE PER YEAR IN THE UNITED STATES.  THIS IS MORE
THAN THE AVERAGE OF 65 DEATHS PER YEAR CAUSED BY TORNADOES AND MORE
THAN THE AVERAGE OF 15 DEATHS PER YEAR CAUSED BY HURRICANES.
HOWEVER...BECAUSE LIGHTNING USUALLY CLAIMS ONLY ONE OR TWO VICTIMS
AT A TIME...AND BECAUSE LIGHTNING DOES NOT CAUSE THE MASS
DESTRUCTION LEFT IN THE WAKE OF TORNADOES OR HURRICANES...LIGHTNING
GENERALLY RECEIVES MUCH LESS ATTENTION THAN THE MORE DESTRUCTIVE
STORM-RELATED KILLERS.  DOCUMENTED LIGHTNING INJURIES IN THE UNITED
STATES AVERAGE ABOUT 300 PER YEAR...HOWEVER...UNDOCUMENTED INJURIES
CAUSED BY LIGHTNING ARE LIKELY MUCH HIGHER.

WHILE MANY PEOPLE THINK THEY ARE AWARE OF THE DANGERS OF LIGHTNING
THE VAST MAJORITY ARE NOT. THIS LACK OF UNDERSTANDING WITH REGARD TO
THE DANGERS OF LIGHTNING CONTINUES TO BE A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM IN THE
UNITED STATES. MANY PEOPLE DO NOT ACT TO PROTECT THEIR LIVES...THEIR
PROPERTY AND THE LIVES OF OTHERS IN A TIMELY MANNER SIMPLY BECAUSE
THEY DO NOT UNDERSTAND ALL THE DANGERS ASSOCIATED WITH THUNDERSTORMS
AND LIGHTNING.  THIS LACK OF KNOWLEDGE CAN LEAD TO VERY TRAGIC
CONSEQUENCES.

EDUCATION AND AWARENESS ARE KEYS TO REDUCING THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE
STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.  PEOPLE NEED TO BECOME AWARE OF THE TYPE OF
BEHAVIOR THAT PUTS THEM AT A GREATER RISK OF BEING STRUCK BY
LIGHTNING AND WHAT THEY CAN DO TO REDUCE THAT RISK.  ADULTS IN
CHARGE OF OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS...PARTICULARLY THOSE THAT
INVOLVE CHILDREN...SHOULD HAVE AND FOLLOW A SPECIFIC LIGHTNING
SAFETY PLAN SO THAT THEY MINIMIZE THE DANGERS OF LIGHTNING FOR THE
PARTICIPANTS AND SPECTATORS.

THE GREATEST NUMBER OF LIGHTNING DEATHS AND INJURIES IN THE UNITED
STATES OCCURS DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS WHEN THE COMBINATION OF
LIGHTNING AND OUTDOOR SUMMERTIME ACTIVITIES REACHES A PEAK.  DURING
THE SUMMER...PEOPLE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE WARM WEATHER TO ENJOY A
MULTITUDE OF OUTDOOR RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES. UNFORTUNATELY...THOSE
OUTDOOR RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES PUT THEM AT GREATER RISK OF BEING
STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.

WHILE VIRTUALLY ALL PEOPLE TAKE SOME PROTECTIVE ACTIONS DURING THE
MOST DANGEROUS PART OF THUNDERSTORMS...MANY LEAVE THEMSELVES
VULNERABLE TO BEING STRUCK BY LIGHTNING AS THUNDERSTORMS APPROACH...
DEPART...OR ARE NEARBY. LIGHTNING CAN STRIKE AS MUCH AS 10 MILES OR
MORE AWAY FROM THE RAIN AREA OF A THUNDERSTORM...THAT IS ABOUT THE
DISTANCE THAT YOU CAN HEAR THE THUNDER FROM THE STORM.  IN SOME
INSTANCES WHEN A STORM IS TEN MILES AWAY...IT MAY EVEN BE DIFFICULT
TO TELL THAT A STORM IS NEARBY.  HOWEVER...IF YOU HEAR THE THUNDER
CHANCES ARE THAT YOU ARE WITHIN STRIKING DISTANCE OF THAT STORM.

INSIDE HOMES...PEOPLE MUST ALSO AVOID ACTIVITIES WHICH PUT THEIR
LIVES AT RISK FROM A POSSIBLE LIGHTNING STRIKE. IN PARTICULAR...
PEOPLE SHOULD STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS AND DOORS AND AVOID CONTACT
WITH ANYTHING THAT CONDUCTS ELECTRICITY.  PEOPLE MAY ALSO WANT TO
TAKE CERTAIN ACTIONS WELL BEFORE THE STORM THREATENS...IN ORDER TO
PROTECT PROPERTY WITHIN THEIR HOMES...SUCH AS ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT.

FINALLY...IN THE UNFORTUNATE EVENT THAT A PERSON IS STRUCK BY
LIGHTNING...MEDICAL CARE MAY BE NEEDED IMMEDIATELY TO SAVE THE
PERSONS LIFE. CARDIAC ARREST AND IRREGULARITIES...BURNS AND NERVE
DAMAGE ARE COMMON IN CASES WHERE PEOPLE ARE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.
HOWEVER...WITH PROPER TREATMENT...INCLUDING CPR IF NECESSARY...MOST
VICTIMS SURVIVE A LIGHTNING STRIKE...ALTHOUGH THE LONG TERM EFFECTS
ON THEIR LIVES AND THE LIVES OF FAMILY MEMBERS CAN BE DEVASTATING.

LIGHTNING FACT FOR THE DAY. MOST LIGHTNING DEATHS OCCUR DURING THE
SUMMER MONTHS...AND DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING.  THESE
ARE THE TIMES WHEN LIGHTNING IS MOST LIKELY TO OCCUR AND WHEN PEOPLE
ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE CAUGHT OUT OF DOORS.

LIGHTNING QUESTION OF THE DAY...WHAT ARE THE CHANCES THAT A PERSON
WILL BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING DURING HIS OR HER LIFETIME.

ANSWER...BASED ON DOCUMENTED CASES OF LIGHTNING DEATHS AND INJURIES.
THE NATIONWIDE ODDS OF BEING KILLED OR INJURED BY LIGHTNING ARE ABOUT
1 IN 700 THOUSAND FOR EACH YEAR OF YOUR LIFE.  ASSUMING A LIFE SPAN
OF 80 YEARS...THAT IS LIFETIME ODDS OF MORE THAN 1 IN 9000.  THESE
ODDS ARE BASED ON DOCUMENTED CASES ONLY AND WOULD LIKELY BE HIGHER IF
ALL LIGHTNING STRIKE CASES WERE DOCUMENTED. KEEP IN MIND...THOUGH...
THAT YOUR BEHAVIOR AROUND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DETERMINE YOUR
INDIVIDUAL ODDS.  IF YOU ARE AWARE OF ALL THE THREATS POSED BY
LIGHTNING AND ACT ACCORDINGLY...YOUR CHANCES FOR BEING STRUCK BY
LIGHTNING WILL BE CONSIDERABLY LOWER.  ON THE OTHER HAND...IF YOU ARE
NOT AWARE OF THOSE DANGERS OR DO NOT TAKE THE APPROPRIATE SAFETY
PRECAUTIONS...YOUR ODDS OF BEING STRUCK BY LIGHTNING WILL BE HIGHER.