Lightning Safety Week: June 24th-30th 2007
We have all heard the National Weather Service slogan "turn around don't drown" used to remind people of the dangers flooding can cause. Now there is a new slogan to promote lightning safety and awareness. It is:"When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors!" Just a cheezy and just as catchy.
Source: National Weather Service
Summer is the peak season for one of the nation's deadliest weather phenomena— lightning. The campaign is designed to lower lightning death and injury rates and America's vulnerability to one of nature's deadliest hazards.
In the United States, an average of 66 people are killed each year by lightning. In 2006, there were 47 confirmed deaths and 246 confirmed injuries. The injury number is likely far lower than it should be because many people do not seek help or doctors do not record it as a lightning injury.
People struck by lightning suffer from a variety of long-term, debilitating symptoms, including memory loss, attention deficits, sleep disorders, numbness, dizziness, stiffness in joints, irritability, fatigue, weakness, muscle spasms, depression, and an inability to sit for long.
