With the severe weather we have encountered recently, have you been thinking of your preparedness? June’s theme for the Do 1 Thing program has been completed, but that doesn’t mean we can’t continue working on what we need to do to stay ready.

With a week to go for this month, we are listed as the third wettest June on record, per a recent news report I just heard. FEMA would like to remind everyone, “when thunder roars, go indoors.” Summertime is meant for enjoying outdoor activities, but if you hear thunder, lightning is close enough to put you in danger. In recognition of Lightning Safety Awareness Week, the National Weather Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency want you to learn ways you can enjoy the warm temperatures and still protect yourself and your family when the storm clouds roll in.

“No place is safe outside when a thunderstorm occurs, “Chris A. Kelenske, Deputy State Director and commander of the Michigan State Police’s Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division, said. “People often wait far too long to get to a safe place when a storm approaches. The best way to be safe from lightning is to avoid the threat and immediately find an indoor shelter.”

Every year, 53 people are killed and hundreds are injured each year due to being struck by lightning and summer is peak season for lightning strikes. So far this year, there have been seven fatal lightning strikes.

Officials are offering helpful tips to prevent lightning strikes this summer:

• Plan evacuation and safety measures. At first sign of lightning and thunder, activate your emergency plan. Lightning often precedes rain, so do not wait for rain to begin before suspending activities. Although no place is absolutely safe from lightning, some places are safer than others.

• The safest location during lightning activity is a large, enclosed building. The second safest location is an enclosed metal topped vehicle-but not a convertible, bike, motorcycle, or other topless or soft-top vehicle.

• Protect yourself indoors by avoiding water, doors, windows and using corded devices. Lightning could strike exterior wires, potentially causing shock or injury. Any item plugged into an electrical outlet may be a hazard.

• Do not resume outdoor activities until 30 minutes after the last observed lightning strike or thunder clap.

• Never shelter under an isolated tree, tower, or utility pole. Lightning tends to strike taller objects in an area.

• Immediately get off elevated areas such as hills, mountain ridges or peaks, and move to the lowest area you can get to quickly.

• Never lie flat on the ground: to minimize your chance of being struck, you have to minimize your height AND your body’s contact with the earth’s surface.

For more information about emergency preparedness, go to the Michigan State Police website or follow them on Twitter @MichEMHS.

 

Rob Herbstreith is a Michigan State Police trooper. Questions or comments can be emailed to TrooperRob53@yahoo.com