THUNDERSTORM AND LIGHTNING SAFETY TIPS

This is a fun and exciting time when the flowers are blooming and baseball season is underway, but the American Red Cross of the Susquehanna Valley wants you to be prepared for the inevitable lightning strikes that accompany hot and humid days. Please read the safety tips below so you are prepared and know how to react when lightning strikes your surrounding area. There is also information about what to do if someone near you is struck by lightning.

Before lightning strikes...

• Keep an eye on the sky. Look for darkening skies, flashes of light or increasing wind. Listen for the sound of thunder.
• If you can hear thunder, you are close enough to the storm to be struck by lightning. Go to safe shelter immediately.
• Listen to the radio or television for the latest weather forecasts.

When a storm approaches...

• Find shelter in a building or car. Keep car windows closed and avoid convertibles.
• Telephone lines and metal pipes can conduct electricity. Unplug appliances. Avoid using the telephone or any electrical appliances. (Leaving electric lights on, however, does not increase the chances of your home being struck by lightning.)
• Avoid taking a bath or shower, or running water for any other purpose.
• Turn off the air conditioner. Power surges from lightning can overload the compressor, resulting in a costly repair job!
• Draw blinds and shades over windows. If windows break due to objects blown by the wind, the shades will prevent glass from shattering into your home.

If caught outside...

• If you are in the woods, take shelter under the shorter trees.
• If you are boating or swimming, get to land and find shelter immediately!
• Go to a low-lying, open place away from trees, poles, or metal objects. Make sure the place you pick is not subject to flooding.
• Be a very small target! Squat low to the ground. Place your hands on your knees with your head between them. Make yourself the smallest target possible.
• Do not lie flat on the ground--this will make you a larger target.

After the storm passes...

• Stay away from storm-damaged areas.
• Listen to the radio for information and instructions.

If someone is struck by lightning...

• People struck by lightning carry no electrical charge and can be handled safely.
• Call for help. Get someone to dial 9-1-1 or your local Emergency Medical Services (EMS) number.
• The injured person has received an electrical shock and may be burned, both where they were struck and where the electricity left their body. Check for burns in both places. Being struck by lightning can also cause nervous system damage, broken bones, and loss of hearing or eyesight.
• Give first aid. If breathing has stopped, begin rescue breathing. If the heart has stopped beating, a trained person should give CPR. If the person has a pulse and is breathing, look and care for other possible injuries.