Lightning safety tips

Lightning is a sudden electrostatic discharge during an electrical storm between electrically charged regions of a cloud (called intra-cloud lightning or IC), between that cloud and another cloud (CC lightning), or between a cloud and the ground (CG lightning).

Lightning: What You Need to Know

No place outside is safe when thunderstorms are in the area! If you hear thunder, lightning is close enough to strike you.

When you hear thunder, immediately move to safe shelter: a substantial building with electricity or plumbing or an enclosed, metal-topped vehicle with windows up.

Stay in safe shelter at least 30 minutes after you hear the last sound of thunder.

Indoor Lightning Safety

Stay off corded phones, computers and other electrical equipment that put you in direct contact with electricity. Avoid plumbing, including sinks, baths and faucets. Stay away from windows and doors, and stay off porches. Do not lie on concrete floors, and do not lean against concrete walls.

Last Resort Outdoor Risk Reduction Tips

If you are caught outside with no safe shelter anywhere nearby the following actions may reduce your risk . Immediately get off elevated areas such as hills, mountain ridges or peaks.

Never lie flat on the ground

Never shelter under an isolated tree

Never use a cliff or rocky overhang for shelter.

Immediately get out and away from ponds, lakes and other bodies of water

Stay away from objects that conduct electricity (barbed wire fences, power lines, windmills, etc.)

Source: www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov

Related Posts

Super El Niño: President urges caution

Joseph Madzimure and Precious Manomano FARMERS must prioritise early-maturing and drought-resistant crops for the 2026-2027 summer cropping season as Zimbabwe braces for a likely Super El Niño-induced dry spell, President…

Manufacturing sector to hit US$1bn mark by 2030 — survey

Zvamaida Murwira Senior Reporter THE manufacturing sector is now the biggest contributor to the country’s Gross Domestic Product and is on course to reach a US$1 billion mark in exports…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

×