Before Thunderstorm and Lightning
To prepare for a thunderstorm, you should do the following:
- To begin preparing, you should
build an emergency kit and
make a family communications plan.
- Remove dead or rotting trees and branches that could fall and cause
injury or damage during a severe thunderstorm.
- Postpone outdoor activities.
- Remember the 30/30 Lightning Safety Rule: Go indoors if, after seeing
lightning, you cannot count to 30 before hearing thunder. Stay indoors for
30 minutes after hearing the last clap of thunder.
- Secure outdoor objects that could blow away or cause damage.
- Get inside a home, building, or hard top automobile (not a convertible).
Although you may be injured if lightning strikes your car, you are much
safer inside a vehicle than outside.
- Remember, rubber-soled shoes and rubber tires provide NO protection from
lightning. However, the steel frame of a hard-topped vehicle provides
increased protection if you are not touching metal.
- Shutter windows and secure outside doors. If shutters are not available,
close window blinds, shades or curtains.
- Unplug any electronic equipment well before the storm arrives.
During Thunderstorms and Lightning
If thunderstorm and lightning are occurring in your area, you should:
- Use your battery-operated NOAA Weather Radio for updates from local
officials.
- Avoid contact with corded phones. Use a corded telephone only for
emergencies. Cordless and cellular telephones are safe to use.
- Avoid contact with electrical equipment or cords. Unplug appliances
and other electrical items such as computers and turn off air
conditioners. Power surges from lightning can cause serious damage.
- Avoid contact with plumbing. Do not wash your hands, do not take a
shower, do not wash dishes, and do not do laundry. Plumbing and bathroom
fixtures can conduct electricity.
- Stay away from windows and doors, and stay off porches.
- Do not lie on concrete floors and do not lean against concrete
walls.
- Avoid natural lightning rods such as a tall, isolated tree in an
open area.
- Avoid hilltops, open fields, the beach or a boat on the water.
- Take shelter in a sturdy building. Avoid isolated sheds or other
small structures in open areas.
- Avoid contact with anything metal—tractors, farm equipment,
motorcycles, golf carts, golf clubs, and bicycles.
- If you are driving, try to safely exit the roadway and park. Stay in
the vehicle and turn on the emergency flashers until the heavy rain
ends. Avoid touching metal or other surfaces that conduct electricity in
and outside the vehicle.
After a Thunderstorm or Lightning Strike
If lightning strikes you or someone you know, call 9-1-1 for medical
assistance as soon as possible. The following are things you should check
when you attempt to give aid to a victim of lightning:
- Breathing - if breathing has stopped, begin
mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
- Heartbeat - if the heart has stopped, administer
CPR.
- Pulse - if the victim has a pulse and is breathing,
look for other possible injuries. Check for burns where the lightning
entered and left the body. Also be alert for nervous system damage,
broken bones and loss of hearing and eyesight.
After the storm passes remember to:
- Never drive through a flooded roadway. Turn around, don’t drown!
- Stay away from storm-damaged areas to keep from putting yourself at
risk from the effects of severe thunderstorms.
- Continue to listen to a NOAA Weather Radio or to local radio and
television stations for updated information or instructions, as access
to roads or some parts of the community may be blocked.
- Help people who may require special assistance, such as infants,
children and the elderly or those with access or functional needs.
- Stay away from downed power lines and report them immediately.
- Watch your animals closely. Keep them under your direct control.
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