Lightning Safety

• NO PLACE outside is safe when thunderstorms are in the area!
• If you hear thunder, lightning is close enough to strike you.
• When you hear thunder, immediately move to a safe shelter.
• Safe shelter is a substantial building or inside an enclosed, metal-topped vehicle.
• Stay in a safe shelter at least 30 minutes after you hear the last clap of thunder.

Indoor Lightning Safety Tips:

• Stay off corded phones, computers and other electrical equipment that put you in direct contact with electricity.
• Avoid plumbing, including sinks, baths and faucets.
• Stay away from windows and doors, and stay off porches.
• Do no lie on concrete floors, and do not lean against concrete walls.

Last Resort Outdoor Risk Reduction Tip:

NO PLACE outside is safe when lightning is in the area, but if you are caught outside with no safe shelter anywhere nearby the following actions may reduce your risk:

• Immediately get off elevated areas such as hills, mountain ridges or peaks
• NEVER lie flat on the ground
• NEVER use a tree for shelter
• NEVER use a cliff or rocky overhang for shelter
• Immediately get out and away from ponds, lakes and other bodies of water
• Stay away from objects that conduct electricity (barbed wire fences, power lines, windmills, etc)

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should ANY of the above action be taken if a building or an all-metal vehicle is nearby

If Someone Is Struck:

• Victims do not carry an electrical charge and may need immediate medical attention
• Monitor the victim and begin CPR or AED, if necessary
• Call 911 for help