New Delhi, Lightning killed six persons and injured five others in separate incidents in Orissa on December 12. An unseasonal rain accompanied by gale speed reaching 70 to 80 kmph lashed the port town of Paradip where three victims including a couple had taken shelter under a tree when lightning struck, while three women (farm labourers) died working in the farm lands nearby Kendrapara district.
These unfortunate incidents remind us of our unawareness about lightning. But these deaths affirm that it can be deadly and devastating. Here we suggest ways to deal with lightning, its cause and affect and how to escape it when the weather calls upon lightning strikes:
What is Lightning?
Lightning is a powerful force of nature, but few truly understand exactly what it is. Lightning is electricity that is discharged from a cloud. It is like when you rub your shoes on the carpet on a dry day. Imagine that you are the cloud. There is static electricity in you, waiting to escape. The next person you touch (or any metal object) is the ground. Zap! You feel the jolt, and you may even see the light arching between your finger and the ground sometimes. Lightning is the same, on a much larger scale though.
Lightning is somewhat lazy, and will take the shortest path, striking the tallest object. That is why lightning strikes lightning rods, they are conductors and the tallest things around. The lightning rod diverts the electricity into the dirt, where it is harmless. There is no way to completely stop lightning, but if you're careful, you can avoid injury or death.
Ways to escape Lightning
- Open areas like fields, golf courses, or parking lots should be avoided, as at these places you are the tallest thing around, hence the easiest target.
- Stay away from forms of metal. Lightning is electricity and metal is a conductor of electricity. So are you. You and the metal together make a fine target.
- Stop swimming and get away from water. Water is a conductor.
- Don’t stand under tall objects like trees or towers. As tall objects, these are easy targets, and the electricity might jump to you too.
- Don’t fly kites.
- Don’t carry an umbrella. You may get soaked if it starts raining, but it's better than high voltage running through your body.
- Find a car and get in it. Cars are very safe places to be during lightning storms. Even though it is metal and seems like a perfect target, if it is struck the electricity will conduct through metal in the car, and around your body, not through it, and into the ground.
- If you get caught in an open field during a lightning storm, find a ditch to lie in if possible. If not, crouch down with your head between your knees (and don’t lie flat). Try to become as small as possible.
Photograph by weatherpix stock images
