Lightning Safety
Preparedness and Awareness
(Photo courtesy National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
Lightning kills an average of 73 people each year in the U.S., and strikes hundreds more who survive, but who often suffer severe and permanent disabilities. During the past 40 years, lightning has been the second greatest cause of storm-related deaths (behind floods) in the U.S.
Understanding the dangers of lightning and knowing how to take safe shelter when lightning threatens are key to protecting yourself and your loved ones from this danger.
If the sky looks threatening, take shelter. The first lightning strike from a thunderstorm is as deadly as the last. If you can hear thunder, you are within striking distance. Sturdy buildings are the safest place to be. Avoid sheds, picnic shelters, baseball dugouts and bleachers. If there is no shelter, crouch in the open, staying at least twice as far away from a tree as it is tall, and avoid standing in water.
Lightning Safety and Awareness
Simple awareness and understanding of the dangers of lightning can protect you and your loved ones from serious injury or death caused by lightning. Make sure you and your family understand the dangers of lightning and how to find safe shelter when lightning threatens. Have an emergency weather radio in your home, and when severe weather threatens, listen to stay posted on weather events that might affect you. Don't wait for rain or until lightning is striking to postpone your outside activities and to take shelter.
Links to More Information
Below you will find a number of links to the latest information about lightning safety issues:
National Weather Service (NWS) Lightning Safety Awareness Page
Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Backgrounder on Thunderstorms and Lightning
Kansas Emergency Management's (KDEM) Community and Family Preparedness Information