News : Lightning Safety, Myth vs. Fact

Get the Facts!

An unfortunate and tragic death in our area from lightning means it’s a good time for everyone to become more aware of the dangers and the best protection from lightning. Read well….some of those things Mom told you are spot-on, but some of what you think you know just isn’t true.................

A natural phenomenon that strikes the U.S some 25 million times each year, estimates of being struck range from a low of 1 in 600,000 to as high as 1 in 240,000. As with all other issues regarding your health, odds offer no comfort when you’re the one affected. So here are some tips to keep you safe, gleaned from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

This is a public service of the Virginia Gay Hospital Public Health Department. To receive local public health alerts and safety information from Virgnia Gay Hospital and Clinics by email click here.

Myth: A lightning victim is electrified. If you touch them, you’ll be electrocuted.

Fact: The human body does not store electricity. It is perfectly safe to touch a lightning victim to give them first aid. This is the most chilling of lightning Myths. Imagine if someone died because people were afraid to give CPR!

Myth: Rubber tires on a car protect you from lightning by insulating you from the ground.

Fact: Most cars are safe from lightning, but it is the metal roof and metal sides that protect you, NOT the rubber tires. Remember, convertibles, motorcycles, bicycles, open-shelled outdoor recreational vehicles and cars with fiberglass shells offer no protection from lightning. When lightning strikes a vehicle, it goes through the metal frame into the ground. Don't lean on doors during a thunderstorm.

Myth: If you are in a house, you are 100% safe from lightning.

Fact: A house is a safe place to be during a thunderstorm as long as you avoid anything that conducts electricity. This means staying off corded phones, electrical appliances, wires, TV cables, computers, plumbing, metal doors and windows. Windows are hazardous for two reasons: wind generated during a thunderstorm can blow objects into the window, breaking it and causing glass to shatter and second, in older homes, in rare instances, lightning can come in cracks in the sides of windows.

Myth: If you're caught outside during a thunderstorm, you should crouch down to reduce your risk of being struck.

Fact: Crouching doesn't make you any safer outdoors. Run to a substantial building or hard topped vehicle. If you are too far to run to one of these options, you have no good alternative. You are NOT safe anywhere outdoors.

Myth: If trapped outside and lightning is about to strike, I should lie flat on the ground.

Fact: Lying flat increases your chance of being affected by potentially deadly ground current. If you are caught outside in a thunderstorm, you keep moving at a fast pace toward a safe shelter.

Myth: Structures with metal, or metal on the body (jewelry, cell phones,Mp3 players, watches, etc), attract lightning.

Fact: Height, pointy shape, and isolation are the dominant factors controlling where a lightning bolt will strike. The presence of metal makes absolutely no difference on where lightning strikes. Mountains are made of stone but get struck by lightning many times a year. When lightning threatens, take proper protective action immediately by seeking a safe shelter and don’t waste time removing metal. While metal does not attract lightning, it does conduct it so stay away from metal fences, railing, bleachers, etc.

Myth: If outside in a thunderstorm, you should seek shelter under a tree to stay dry.

Fact: Being underneath a tree is the second leading cause of lightning casualties. Better to get wet than injured or killed!

Interesting Trivia:

Iowa ranks 25th among U.S. states for deaths due to lightning.

Since 1959, 72 Iowans have died from lightning and many more seriously injured.

Wyoming is the most dangerous state when the risk of lightning death is adjusted for population.

(To access this information and more about lightning, visit http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/myths.shtml

To receive local public health alerts and safety information from Virgnia Gay Hospital and Clinics by email click here.