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Morgan County Emergency Management Agency
and
Office of Homeland Security

Summer is the peak season for one of the nation's deadliest weather phenomena— lightning. But don't be fooled, lightning strikes year
round. The goal of this Website is to safeguard U.S. residents from lightning. In the United States, an average of 54 people are reported
killed each year by lightning.

Hundreds of people are permanently injured each year.  People struck by lightning suffer from a variety of long-term, debilitating
symptoms, including memory loss, attention deficits, sleep disorders, chronic pain, numbness, dizziness, stiffness in joints, irritability,
fatigue, weakness, muscle spasms, depression, and more.

Lightning is a serious danger. Through this site we hope you'll learn more about lightning risks and how to protect yourself, your loved
ones and your belongings.


Last Resort Outdoor Risk Reduction Tips

If you are caught outside with no safe shelter anywhere nearby the following actions may reduce your risk:
Immediately get off elevated areas such as hills, mountain ridges or peaks
  • Never lie flat on the ground
  • Never shelter under an isolated tree
  • Never use a cliff or rocky overhang for shelter
  • Immediately get out and away from ponds, lakes and other bodies of water
  • Stay away from objects that conduct electricity (barbed wire fences, power lines, etc.)
60 South Fourth Street
McConnelsville, Ohio 43756

Phone: 740.962.3900
Fax: 740.962.3901
Email: morganema58@yahoo.com
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Lightning
Outdoor Safety Tips
The best defense is to avoid lightning. Here are some outdoor safe. Be
aware!
 
Do
  • Check the weather forecast before participating in outdoor
    activities. If the forecast calls for thunderstorms, postpone your
    trip or activity, or make sure adequate safe shelter is readily
    available.
 
Go indoors
  • Remember the phrase, "When thunder roars, go indoors." Find a
    safe, enclosed shelter when you hear thunder. Safe shelters
    include homes, offices, shopping centers, and hard-top vehicles
    with the windows rolled up.
  • Crouch close to the ground and separate
  • If you are caught in an open area, crouch down in a ball-like
    position (feet and knees together) with your head tucked and
    hands over your ears so that you are down low with minimal
    contact with the ground. Do NOT lie down. Lightning causes
    electric currents along the top of the ground that can be deadly
    over 100 feet away. Crouching down is the best combination of
    being low and touching the ground as little as possible
 
Separate
  • If you are in a group during a thunderstorm, separate from each
    other. This will reduce the number of injuries if lightning strikes
    the ground.
 
Don't
  • Stay in open vehicles, structures, and spaces
  • During a thunderstorm, avoid open vehicles such as
    convertibles, motorcycles, and golf carts. Be sure to avoid open
    structures such as porches, gazebos, baseball dugouts, and
    sports arenas. And stay away from open spaces such as golf
    courses, parks, playgrounds, ponds, lakes, swimming pools, and
    beaches.
  • Stay near tall structures
  • Do NOT lie on concrete floors during a thunderstorm. Also, avoid
    leaning on concrete walls. Lightning can travel through any metal
    wires or bars in concrete walls or flooring.
Indoor Safety Tips
Even though your home is a safe shelter during a lightning storm, you
may still be at risk. About one-third of lightning-strike injuries occur
indoors. Here are some tips to keep safe and reduce your risk of
being struck by lightning while indoors.
 
Avoid water
  • Do NOT bathe, shower, wash dishes, or have any other contact
    with water during a thunderstorm because lightning can travel
    through a building’s plumbing.
  • Avoid electronic equipment
  • Do NOT use your computers, laptops, game systems, washers,
    dryers, stoves, or anything connected to an electrical outlet.
    Lightning can travel through electrical systems, radio and
    television reception systems, and any metal wires or bars in
    concrete walls or flooring. Equip homes with whole-house surge
    protectors to protect appliances.
 
Avoid corded phones
  • Corded phones are NOT safe to use during a thunderstorm.
    Do NOT use them. However, it is safe to use cordless or
    cellular phones during a storm.
  • Avoid windows, doors, porches, and concrete
  • Do NOT lie on concrete floors during a thunderstorm. Also,
    avoid leaning on concrete walls. Lightning can travel through
    any metal wires or bars in concrete walls or flooring.
Lightning: Lightning Safety Tips
Preparedness—Response
Morgan County EMA/OHS
All Rights Reserved
2015
Recovery—Mitigation