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Lightning
Lightning Safety
All Thunderstorms Produce Lightning. Many People
Ignore the Dangers of Lightning.
Consider These Facts:
* Most people struck by lightning are not in the
rain. Lightning can strike 5 to 10 miles in advance of the storm.
* You can tell how far away the lightning is, by
using the Flash-to-Bang method. When you see lightning, count how many
seconds until you hear thunder. If the time is 5 seconds, the lightning
was one mile away; if it is 10 seconds, the lightning was two miles
away. Seek shelter if the lightning moves to within 4 miles of your
location.
Protect
Yourself and Everyone in Your Group
When a thunderstorm threatens, get inside a home or
large building, or inside an all metal (not convertible) vehicle.
Set up safety procedures for outdoor operating
events such as youth soccer and little league baseball.
Inside a home, avoid using the telephone except for
emergencies and unplug unnecessary appliances before the thunderstorm
approaches.
If outside with no time to reach a safe building or
an automobile, follow these rules:
* Do not stand underneath a natural lightning rod
such as a tall isolated tree in an open area.
* In open areas, do not be the tallest object as
you would be if you were standing on a hilltop, in an open field, on the
beach, or fishing from a small boat.
* Get out of and away from open water.
* Get away from tractors and other metal farm
equipment.
* Get off of and away from motorcycles, scooters,
golf carts and bicycles. Put down golf clubs, bags or metal framed
backpacks.
* Stay away from wire fences, clotheslines, metal
pipes, rails, downed power lines and other metallic paths which could
carry the electrical current to you from some distance away.
* Avoid standing in small isolated sheds or other
small structures in open areas.
* In a forest, seek shelter in a low area under a
thick growth of trees. In open areas, go to a low place such as a ravine
or valley. Be alert for flash floods.
* If you are in a level field or prairie in an
active thunderstorm and cannot get to shelter DO NOT LIE FLAT ON THE
GROUND. Minimize your risk to lightning by dropping to a crouching
position with your feet on the ground and close together.
First
Aid for a Lightning Victim
CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY. If the victim is not
breathing and/or has no pulse, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
should be administered by a person with proper training.
Many people apparently "killed" by lightning can be
revived if quick action is taken. When a group is affected, those not
breathing should be treated first.
Medical attention also should be given to victims
who appear only temporarily stunned or otherwise unhurt, since there may
be hidden effects.
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