Tips for Staying Safe in Storms

This is the perfect time of year for enjoying activities outside, and it is also the time of year when sudden storms can erupt. Familykenkel offer some tips to stay safe at home, work and when outside.

The U.S. National Weather Service’s motto for storm season is “When Thunder Rroars, Go Indoors”. This is a good rule to follow as lightning is unpredictable. Below are some tips to follow if you find yourself outside when a storm is on approach.

• Find the nearest structure or building to go into.
• If the sky looks threatening, go inside immediately.
• Stay inside 30 minutes after the last lighting is seen or last roar of thunder is heard.
• When inside, do not touch anything that is plugged into an electrical outlet, plumbing and corded phones. Cell phones and cordless phones are safe.
• Stay away from door and windows.
• Don’t lie on a garage floor.

Lightning can enter a structure three ways: a direct strike, through wires or pipes that extend outside the structure, and through the ground. Once inside, lightning can travel through the ways mentioned above, and through any metal wires or bars in concrete walls or flooring.

Familykenkel learns that there have been two deaths from lightning strikes in Florida in 2014 and 4 in 2013. There were 23 deaths in 2013 altogether. Readers should know that lighting victims do not carry an electrical charge and are safe to touch. Call 911 and start CPR is they are not responsive.