SEVERE WEATHER PREPARATION

The following information was provided by the City of Galveston's Emergency Management Coordinator

LIGHTNING
The Underrated Killer

Across the United States each year lightning kills more people than tornadoes and hurricanes combined, following only flooding. Over the last 40-years lightning has accounted for an average of 93 deaths per year. The southeast Texas area averages 50 to 60 days with thunderstorms and lightning per year. The Gulf Coast has one of the highest incidences of lightning strikes annually throughout the U.S.

Lightning is one of the most intense phenomena associated with thunderstorms. Lightning develops as a result of the interactions between charged particles that produce an intense electrical field within and near the thunderstorm. Electrical potential in lightning can be as high as 100 million volts. Lightning strikes occur from cloud to cloud, cloud to ground, or where high structures are involved, ground-to-ground.

When a thunderstorm threatens, protect yourself from lightning by getting inside your home, large buildings, or a hard top automobile. Do not use the telephone except for emergencies. If you are caught outdoors, do not stand under tall trees or telephone poles. Don't stand up in high areas; instead seek the lowest areas to take cover. If you are out at the lake or bay, get off and away from the water. Metal farm equipment, motorcycles, bicycles and golf carts should be avoided. In fact, golfers should put away golf clubs and remove metal spikes. Activities on athletic fields should be suspended with everyone moving indoors.

If you feel your hair stand on end it means lightning is about to strike. Squat low to the ground on the balls of your feet. Place your hands on your knees with your head between them. Make yourself the smallest target possible and minimize contact with the ground.

If you can hear thunder or see lightning you are within 10 to 15 miles, and should take action to get indoors. Remember that lightning can strike several miles away from the main thunderstorm, so you should take precautions even when the storm is not directly above you. You should wait at least 30 minutes after the last flash of lightning or thunder to establish an all clear.

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