Lightning Safety Tips

I saw this story, front and center in the Morning Call, and it obviously inspired this blog entry.  One person was killed, and nine injured, when lightning hit people in the parking lot at the Pocono Raceway.

Unfortunately, this is something that occurs more often than you might think.  Lightning kills 24,000 across the world every year and injures ten times that many.  In the United States, those numbers are relatively low, with an average of 73 people dying from strikes every year.  Some states have higher rates of lightning strikes than others; Florida leads the pack, far and away, with 1,523 deaths & injuries, though Pennsylvania is third with 644.

Given how close the latest death was, we thought this was timely.  Here are some lightning safety tips - what to do when an electrical storm is coming:

• Avoid water, high ground, metal objects and open spaces.  Get as low to the ground as possible.
• If you are outdoors, get in a car if you can.  If you cannot, crouch down with your feet together and stand at least fifteen feet away from other people.
• If you hear lightning or thunder, stop all outdoor activities for at least thirty minutes.  

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