Talk:Lightning safety

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Articles for deletion This article was nominated for deletion on 12 June 2006. The result of the discussion was keep.

I removed the bulk of the lightning rod article here. Too lengthy for this article. A breif synopsis should be made with a "main" wlnk. JDR 17:30, 15 August 2005 (UTC)

Contents

[edit] Fatality Rate?

Is it 25 to 33% or 10%? The second sentence implies 10%. "between 25 to 33% of those struck die.[1][verification needed] In the United States, it is the #2 weather killer (second only to floods), killing 100 annually and injuring ten times that number."

Probably the latter stat is all lightning-related injuries (i.e., a tree fals on you), while the former is direct strike victims. --Xiaphias 03:58, 20 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Field or Tree?

If you are in a field during a storm, should you stay in the open or hide under a tree? Either one seems fatal. Catch-22? smurrayinchester(User), (Talk) 09:40, 22 October 2005 (UTC)

The odds that lightning will strike the tree are MUCH higher than the odds that it will strike any given section of an open plane, so by being near the tree you greatly raise your odds of being in a strike. The ideal thing to do is to be far from the tree, and then become "a basketball with feet" - crouch down on the ground, with only your feet on the ground, and your body curled up in a ball. That way, you are minimally higher than the ground and thus not significantly more attractive to the lightning. DO NOT LIE DOWN - if lightning strikes near you, the voltage potential across the ground will cause a current flow through your whole body, including the thoracic cavity and heart. By only having two small points of contact (your feet) that are very near each other, the voltage across them will be smaller than they would be across your whole supine body, and any current flow they experience will only be through your legs and pelvis - avoiding the the heart. N0YKG 14:33, 22 October 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Navy propaganda

I don't see what operation during freedom has to do with lightening? This is not the first time I see military abuse on wikipedia. Lose the picture please.

[edit] Guy gets hit by lightning

Im not sure if this is a urban legend, but if it is not so, what is the name of the guy who was struck by lightning a phenomal number of times? Anouymous 02:18, 2 November 2005 (UTC)

 It was a guy called Roy Sullivan, he was struck seven times. This occured over a number of years. Bobman999 08:30, 10 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Forests

If you're in the middle of a forest during a thunderstorm, what should you do? --Carnildo 08:24, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

Leave.--Xiaphias 10:01, 7 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Myths

Would someone care to add a section on lightning protection myths? You could include an illustration similar to the one here[1], showing how insignificant the height of the Sears Tower is (much less an umbrella or person) when compared to the height of a thunderstorm. Other important points to cover are that metal (other than skyscrapers or tall antennae) has practically no influence over whether or where lightning will strike, and that lightning might strike a poor conductor rather than a better conductor nearby.

I can't recall the source, but I also remember reading an humorous tale by Mark Twain or a contemporary about an ignorant couple trying numerous crazy things in attempt to reduce the risk of being electrocuted by a thunderstorm. This story might be relevant as well.

A good closing would be something to the effect that while measures might be taken to decrease the damage caused by lightning, the only way to significantly reduce the risk of electrocution is to avoid being outdoors in a thunderstorm.

-JP

[edit] Moved to Keraunomedicine

FYI, I moved a lot of the info to the Keraunomedicine article, as it seemed more appropriate there. --Xiaphias 14:44, 19 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Misc Stat

2% of lightening fatalities in the US are people who were talking on the phone at the time, according to the 'Mythbusters' ref I posted for another statistic. This seems pertinent, but I'm not sure where to add it. --151.196.133.61 20:34, 17 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Car safety?

If you are in a car during a storm aren't you safe? should this be added? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.250.188.227 (talk) 22:42, 22 April 2008 (UTC)