How Do You Avoid Injury From Lightning?
Getting struck by lightning is often used as a metaphor for something very rare, but the number of people killed by lightning is actually higher than the number killed by either tornados or hurricanes. The best news is, it’s avoidable. You need to be outdoors to be killed or injured by lightning, so the most obvious advice about avoiding injury is to get indoors when an electrical storm is threatening or in progress. If you can’t get inside a building, take shelter in your car and be sure the windows are closed. You want to be in an enclosed space during a thunderstorm. Thunderstorms are more common in warm weather, but can occur at any time of year. When you see lightning, count the number of seconds before you hear thunder. Light moves much faster than sound, so the greater the distance between seeing and hearing, the further the storm is from you. However, if you can hear thunder at all, you’re probably close enough to be struck by lightning and you need to seek shelter to be safe.
