ECONOMIC BOOST
June 15, 2018
LIBRARY: LEARNING AT THE LIBRARY
June 15, 2018
It’s a beautiful southern summer day. The heat is sweltering and the humidity is high, but the blue skies and fluffy white clouds are beckoning you step outdoors to have fun. Baseball practice, fun at the pool or even a picnic under a tree at the park all sounds like normal summer outdoor activities. After all. the weatherman said only a 40 percent chance of afternoon storms.
But wait! What was that low rumble? A glance up shows the clouds starting to shift There’s that nimble again… your warning sign that a summer storm is on the way. And if you can hear the thunder, the lightning isn’t far away either.
According to the National Weather Service (NWS), there are about 25 million cloud-to-ground lightening flashes each year and about 300 people struck by lightening. Most individuals who were struck say they were caught outside in a storm and couldn’t get to a safe place.
It is important to have a lightening safety plan if you will be spending time outdoors this summer. Monitor the weather and consider postponing if thunderstorms are forecast Keep an eye to the skies for signs of developing or approaching storms, such as darkening skies or coolness in the breeze.
The Center for Disease Control Prevention offers the following tips to protect yourself from lightening strikes when caught outdoors:
– When thunder roars, go indoors. Find a safe, enclosed shelter. A hard-topped metal vehicle with the windows closed is considered safe. Sheds, picnic shelters, tents and covered porches are NOT safe.
– The main lightning safety guide is the 30-80 rule. After you see lightning start counting to 30. If you hear thunder before you reach 30, go indoors. Suspend activities for at least 50 minutes after the last clap of thunder.
– If no shelter is available, crouch low. with as little of your body touching the ground as possible. lightning causes electric currents along the top of the ground that can be deadly over 100 feet away.
-Avoid open areas such as fields. Don’t be the tallest object in the area.
– Stay away from isolated tall trees, towers, or utility poles.
– Stay away from metal conductors such as wires or fences.
– Stay away from concrete floors or walls. Lightning can travel through any metal wires or bars in concrete walls or flooring.
-Although you should move into anon-concrete structure if possible, being indoors does not automatically protect you from lightning In fact, about one-third of lightning-strike injuries occur indoors.
Louisiana had 10 lightening related fatalities in the years between 2003-2017 according to the NWS. This is one of the highest totals in the United States. While the odds of being struck are only around 1 in 500,000, when you see lightening, you should immediately take safety precautions.
