NOUS42 KCHS 060935
PNSCHS
GAZ087-088-099>101-114>119-137>141-SCZ040-042>045-047>051-201000-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
500 AM EDT MON JUN 19 2006

...LIGHTNING SAFETY AWARENESS WEEK...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS DECLARED THE WEEK OF JUNE 18TH
THROUGH JUNE 24TH LIGHTNING SAFETY AWARENESS WEEK. THIS IS THE
FIRST IN A SERIES OF FIVE PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENTS TO BE ISSUED
BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN CHARLESTON CONTAINING
INFORMATION ON LIGHTNING AND LIGHTNING SAFETY.

LIGHTNING AND LIGHTNING SAFETY--AN INTRODUCTION.

IN THE UNITED STATES THERE ARE AN ESTIMATED 25 MILLION
CLOUD-TO-GROUND LIGHTNING FLASHES EACH YEAR. WHILE LIGHTNING CAN
BE FASCINATING TO WATCH...IT IS ALSO EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. EACH ONE
OF THOSE 25 MILLION FLASHES IS A POTENTIAL KILLER. DURING THE PAST
30 YEARS LIGHTNING HAS KILLED AN AVERAGE OF 67 PEOPLE PER YEAR IN
THE UNITED STATES BASED ON DOCUMENTED CASES. THIS IS MORE THAN THE
AVERAGE OF 65 DEATHS PER YEAR CAUSED BY TORNADOES AND MORE THAN
THE AVERAGE OF 16 DEATHS PER YEAR CAUSED BY HURRICANES.

HOWEVER...BECAUSE LIGHTNING USUALLY CLAIMS ONLY ONE OR TWO VICTIMS
AT A TIME..AND BECAUSE LIGHTNING DOES NOT CAUSE THE MASS
DESTRUCTION LEFT IN THE WAKE OF TORNADOES OR HURRICANES...LIGHTNING
GENERALLY RECEIVES MUCH LESS ATTENTION THAN THE MORE DESTRUCTIVE
STORM-RELATED KILLERS. DOCUMENTED LIGHTNING INJURIES IN THE UNITED
STATES AVERAGE ABOUT 300 PER YEAR. HOWEVER...UNDOCUMENTED INJURIES
CAUSED BY LIGHTNING ARE LIKELY MUCH HIGHER.

WHILE MANY PEOPLE THINK THEY ARE AWARE OF THE DANGERS OF LIGHTNING...
THE VAST MAJORITY ARE NOT. THIS LACK OF UNDERSTANDING WITH REGARD TO
THE DANGERS OF LIGHTNING CONTINUES TO BE A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM IN THE
UNITED STATES. MANY PEOPLE DO NOT ACT TO PROTECT THEIR LIVES...THEIR
PROPERTY AND THE LIVES OF OTHERS IN A TIMELY MANNER SIMPLY BECAUSE
THEY DO NOT UNDERSTAND ALL THE DANGERS ASSOCIATED WITH THUNDERSTORMS
AND LIGHTNING. THIS LACK OF KNOWLEDGE CAN LEAD TO VERY TRAGIC
CONSEQUENCES.

EDUCATION AND AWARENESS ARE KEYS TO REDUCING THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE
STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. PEOPLE NEED TO BECOME AWARE OF THE TYPE OF
BEHAVIOR THAT PUTS THEM AT A GREATER RISK OF BEING STRUCK BY
LIGHTNING, AND WHAT THEY CAN DO TO REDUCE THAT RISK. ADULTS IN
CHARGE OF OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS...PARTICULARLY THOSE THAT
INVOLVE CHILDREN...SHOULD HAVE AND FOLLOW A SPECIFIC LIGHTNING
SAFETY PLAN SO THAT THEY MINIMIZE EXPOSURE TO LIGHTNING FOR THE
PARTICIPANTS AND THE SPECTATORS.

THE GREATEST NUMBER OF LIGHTNING DEATHS AND INJURIES IN THE UNITED
STATES OCCURS DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS WHEN THE COMBINATION OF
LIGHTNING AND OUTDOOR SUMMERTIME ACTIVITIES REACHES A PEAK.
DURING THE SUMMER, PEOPLE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE WARM WEATHER TO
ENJOY A MULTITUDE OF OUTDOOR RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES.
UNFORTUNATELY THOSE OUTDOOR RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES PUT THEM AT
GREATER RISK OF BEING STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.

WHILE VIRTUALLY ALL PEOPLE TAKE SOME PROTECTIVE ACTIONS DURING THE
MOST DANGEROUS PART OF THUNDERSTORMS...MANY LEAVE THEMSELVES
VULNERABLE TO BEING STRUCK BY LIGHTNING AS THUNDERSTORMS
APPROACH...DEPART OR ARE NEARBY. LIGHTNING CAN STRIKE AS MUCH AS 10
MILES OR MORE AWAY FROM THE RAIN AREA OF A THUNDERSTORM. THAT IS
ABOUT THE DISTANCE THAT YOU CAN HEAR THE THUNDER FROM THE STORM.
IN SOME INSTANCES WHEN A STORM IS TEN MILES AWAY IT MAY EVEN BE
DIFFICULT TO TELL THAT A STORM IS NEARBY. HOWEVER IF YOU HEAR THE
THUNDER CHANCES ARE THAT YOU ARE WITHIN STRIKING DISTANCE OF THAT
STORM.

INSIDE HOMES...PEOPLE MUST ALSO AVOID ACTIVITIES WHICH PUT THEIR LIVES
AT RISK FROM A POSSIBLE LIGHTNING STRIKE. IN PARTICULAR...PEOPLE
SHOULD STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS AND DOORS AND AVOID CONTACT WITH
ANYTHING THAT CONDUCTS ELECTRICITY. PEOPLE MAY ALSO WANT TO TAKE
CERTAIN ACTIONS WELL BEFORE THE STORM THREATENS...IN ORDER TO
PROTECT PROPERTY WITHIN THEIR HOMES...SUCH AS ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT.

LIGHTNING FACT FOR THE DAY...MOST LIGHTNING DEATHS OCCUR DURING THE
SUMMER MONTHS...DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THESE
ARE THE TIMES WHEN LIGHTNING IS MOST LIKELY TO OCCUR AND WHEN
PEOPLE ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE CAUGHT OUT-OF-DOORS.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT LIGHTNING OR LIGHTNING SAFETY...
VISIT NOAA/S LIGHTNING SAFETY AWARENESS WEB SITE AT...

HTTP://WWW.LIGHTNINGSAFETY.NOAA.GOV

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