Popular culture has largely portrayed a lightning strike as an event akin to winning the lottery or another extremely improbable occurrence. However, better data collection efforts over the last decade have shown lightning’s danger to be underrated at best.
According to the Lightning Protection Institute (LPI), lightning strikes thousands of people each year, injuring a few more than 1,000. Have you ever been afraid to go swimming after watching ‘Jaws’? Well the probability of being struck by lightning is approximately 30 times more likely than being attacked by a shark. You should be watching the sky, not the water around you!
I personally know two people who have been struck by lightning; one lived, one did not. While this is entirely anecdotal evidence, it does beg a question as to why lightning is generally not taken seriously as a threat. My personal theory is that it’s a combination of the misconception that lightning strikes are extremely rare and the commonness with which we encounter lightning.
Lightning can also be very damaging to property; according to the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.), there were 213,000 lightning related claims last year. These losses include damage to expensive electronics and structural fires. The I.I.I. further estimates that the average lightning claim to be $4,846.
If you are caught in a storm, pay attention to how you feel. If your skin beings to tingle, you hair stands on end, you smell an acrid odor in the air, or you get a metallic taste in your mouth, you might be about to experience a lightning strike. Get low to the ground and follow the steps below.
What to do and not to do (Compiled from the I.I.I, LPI, & Essortment):
Look to Gordon Insurance for more risk management resources! Lighting can affect your home, auto, and most importantly life and health, so make sure you're covered.
Related articles
Six lightning safety tips that could save your life (scoutingmagazine.org)
LPI and NFPA Partner to Reduce Risks from Lightning (prnewswire.com)
Calculating the Distance to Lightning Strikes (brokensecrets.com)
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