Healthy Habits: Lightning Safety

Summer provides great weather for outdoor fun, such as BBQs and beach trips, but it's also a time for potentially severe weather. Weather can sometimes be deadly, and lightning is the third highest storm-related killer, following floods and tornadoes. The National Weather Service (NWS) would like to remind us all that, “When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors!”

This year, the NWS unveiled a new community-based volunteer preparedness program to increase awareness about the danger of lightning at outdoor recreation venues, like parks, concert arenas, and golf courses, as well as open water locations such as swimming pools and beaches. The agency created lightning safety awareness signs that local communities can install at these public places to encourage people to go indoors when they hear thunder. Almost all lightning injuries and deaths can be prevented, so education and awareness is crucial.

To make sure you're safe, get into a substantial building or hardtop vehicle at the first rumble of thunder and stay indoors for 30 minutes after the last thunder clap. And although the risk is small, if you are inside, to make sure you're safe if your house is hit, stay away from indoor plumbing and wiring as well.

Ellen Bryan, winner of the 2011 Miss Ohio title, is part of a lightning safety PSA where she tells the story of why she supports this campaign and safety initiative. She has been affected personally by a lightning-related injury, as her sister was struck while working on a golf course where she was severely injured and paralyzed.

To learn more, visit www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov and be sure to check out the NWS on Facebook!