UTSA observes Lightning Safety Awareness Week
(June 26, 2003)--The UTSA Office of Emergency Planning in coordination with the National Weather Service (NWS) has designated June 22-28 as Lightning Safety Awareness Week in an effort to promote awareness of the danger of lightning.
Pictured are May 1999 lightning flashes near Midland, Texas. The photos were taken by veteran storm-chaser Gene Rhoden.
According to NWS, more than 25 million lightning flashes occur annually, and over the past 30 years an average of 73 people have been killed annually by lightning. More than 300 are injured each year as a result of lightning strikes.
July is the peak month for lightning fatalities with the Independence Day holiday involving many people in outdoor activities.
For more information, visit NWS Lightning Safety.
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Lightning Safety Rules
- If you see lightning, go inside a completely enclosed building and stay
away from open windows.
If there is no enclosed building nearby, get inside a hard-topped, all-metal vehicle. - Do not take shelter under a tree. If there are isolated trees nearby, crouch on the balls of your feet in the open, keeping twice as far away from a tree as it is tall.
- If there is no shelter, avoid being the tallest object in the area.
- Get off and do not lean against bicycles, motorcycles, tractors, construction equipment and other vehicles.
- Get out of water, off the beach and out of small boats or canoes. If caught in a boat, crouch down in the center of the boat away from metal hardware. Avoid standing in puddles of water, even if wearing rubber boots.
- Avoid open spaces, wire fences, metal clothes lines, exposed sheds and electrically conductive elevated objects.
- Do not use metal objects such as golf clubs, fishing rods, tennis rackets or tools.
- Do not use a wired telephone, even if inside a building.
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© The University of Texas at San Antonio, 2003