Things You'll Need:
- quick thinking
- common sense
- phone to call 911
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Step 1
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.
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Step 2
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. If you’re a camp counselor or a sports coach, suspend all outside activity until the danger of lightning has passed. Don’t try and tough it out in the open. To dispel some myths about lightning, you’re not safe under a tree and you’re not safe if you’re out on the water in a boat, so check the weather before you go boating. If you’re a camp director, be sure your camp has a policy about lightning.
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Step 3
If you’re indoors during an electrical storm, avoid using electrical equipment. Shut down your computer and be sure it’s plugged into a surge protector. Lightning can strike an electrical outlet from the outside and it will fry your computer unless you have a surge protector to take the hit. If you have an office in your home, be sure your surge has outlets for all of your vital equipment. Your house should have ground wires to conduct lightning away from your house. If your house is the last house on a power line, unplug all of your electrical appliances during a storm. An electrical charge in the power line has no where else to go when it gets to the end.
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Step 4
If you see someone get hit by lightning, call 911 immediately. People don’t hold an electrical charge so there’s no danger to you when you touch them, but being stuck by lightning can cause a multitude of injuries. Lightning victims need first aid and the sooner they receive it, the better they will be for it. If the person isn’t moving, they may have suffered cardiac arrest and need CPR.
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Step 5
Even if a lightning victim appears to be all right, they should still be checked out by a doctor for possible injuries that aren’t immediately apparent. Some symptoms, connected with a lightning injury, may not show up for a few days. Lightning victims have complained of a number of different ailments including loss of memory, inability to sleep, painful joints, dizziness and many others. Symptoms from this very powerful shock to a person’s system, could linger for protracted periods.
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Step 6
To be sure of your safety and that of your loved ones, wait a half hour after the last sound of thunder before venturing outside.
