National Lightning Safety Awareness Week, June 19-25, 2011
(Updated May 31, 2011)
WHEN THUNDER ROARS, GO INDOORS! That's advice from the National Weather Service.
Statistics from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) show that lightning killed 29 people and caused at least 300 injuries to others in the United States during 2010. At least 24 of the 29 deaths were to people involved in outdoor activities.
In many cases, lightning has caused serious and lifelong injuries including memory loss, muscular pain, numbness, and depression. To learn more about the effects of lightning, click this link.
In the outdoors, there are no safe places during a thunderstorm, NOT even a tent (no matter how sturdy you think it is). If you are outside, get inside a building or a hard-topped vehicle as quickly as possible.
If you are outside and away from buildings or cars, then follow these guidelines:
· Avoid open fields, tops of ridges, or hills.
· Stay away from isolated or tall trees; select a lower stand of trees that are the same height.
· Stay away from water, metal fences, telephone or power lines, or towers.
· Renew your understanding of lightning by taking the BSA Weather Hazard training (available online through the E-learning center).
For more information about lightning safety, go to the National Weather Service’s Lightning Safety website or the National Lightning Safety Institute website .
For information on the Guide To Safe Scouting's Lightning Risk Reduction section, click here.