Lightning Question

[c8mb]

What should you do if you are on the river and lightning strikes are getting closer? Where is the safest place to get?

[Zach]

I'm not sure where to get, but don't forget to spread out.

A few months ago was on the Tot with lots of lightening and 4 or 5 people sat under the same tree to wait out the storm. There were only 3 of us not under that tree. A few short to give CPR if they are all hit.

[Mike B]

I overlooked answering the question you asked so I edited to add a few things:

The safest place is inside a "safe building" or "safe vehicle", both of which are likely unavailable on the river.


The best option would be get to shore. If available, find an open area (low areas are best), such as a gravel bar, as far away from trees and tall cliffs as possible. You are always the tallest thing on the water.

You should spread your party out and try to stay away from each other. Assume a squating position with only your feet contacting the ground (uncomfortable for long periods of time). This position will provide the least amount of contact with the ground and will keep you low. Strikes (electricity) can actually travel across the ground or rocks, especially if wet. It can strike one person and travel/jump to another if you are close to each other.

Avoid standing under trees (especially isolated trees), beside cliffs and in shallow caves as they all may attract lightning.

If in thick vegitation or woods then look for low areas and smaller, lower trees.

30 minutes from the last strike or intense thunder is a general rule that it is safe to return to the water.

There is also quite a bit of reliable information on the internet by searching for lightning safety, etc. Stick to official and reliable sites like UL, govt. agencies, etc.

A close friend of mine was in a group on the river and one of the group died do to a strike. They were off the water and standing around looking for cover when one was struck. It was very tramatic for the group and left several with mental scars and a great fear of storms.

Be safe. Storms will pass.

[iYak]

I read in the last issue of American Whitewater magazine that several people had been reported killed over the years by random trees falling on them as they were paddling down the river, but they had no reports of people being struck by lightning. By what Mike B says, I assume that is so because many of them were out of the water and it didn't get reported as a paddling accident.

That begs the question - if people haven't ever been reported killed by lightning while on the river, then is the safest place during a lightning storm on the river? Sounds counter-intuitive, but...

[Cowper]

I confess; I've never been personally touched by a lightening injury/death like Mike B, so I tend to be a little bit cavalier about it. If you can't get to a location of real safety, then remind yourself that even though 100's were injured by lightening in 2008, only 28 died (and only about 10 of those on the water); compare this to the 30 to 40 thousand that die each year on our highways.

I think river valleys are relatively safe places to be, as compared to other outdoor locations (none of which are safe), because lightening is going to be more likely to strike a tree on the ridgeline than something in a deep valley. If you know of a cave along your route and could get to that, you'd have the ultimate safety shelter. Something easier to find would be an overhanging bluff, which could provide much more safety than being out on the water; so I think I'd look for a place where I could shelter at the base of a bluff; if the river had no bluff lines nearby, then under short trees near the base of a taller hill would be far better than an open gravel or sand bar. Be short, and within a few hundred yards of something much taller that presents a better target.

Some good reading at
http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Including this:
• In 2008, 28 people died due to lightning strikes
• Hundreds of others were permanently injured. Of the victims who were killed by lightning in 2008:
o 100% outside
o 79% male
o 36% males between the ages of 20-25
o 32% under a tree
o 29% on or near the water
The reported number of injuries is likely far lower than the actual total number 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.
http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/top9tips.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Lifejacket]

The reported number of injuries is likely far lower than the actual total number 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.
http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/top9tips.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I have been twice, never thought that there could be long-term side effects, but will start using this as my excuse for not remembering, not sleeping well, and my A.D.D.

[Crane]

I was hit by splash lightening back in 1971 or 72. I shook for about a week... The most common response when people hear about it is: "Well, that explains a lot!"

[Richard]

My daughter was struck by lightning and suffers from several of the long term problems mentioned.
A student was struck and killed in Conway while waiting for the school bus. If my memory serves me right, several years ago five students in Little Rock ran under a tree and were killed when lightning struck the tree. It is not uncommon for cattle to be killed when standing under trees.

=================== SAFETY INFORMATION - National Lightning Safety Institute ==============
Lightning is a capricious, random and unpredictable event. Its' physical characteristics include current levels sometimes in excess of 400 kA, temperatures to 50,000 degrees F., and speeds approaching one third the speed of light. Globally, some 2000 on-going thunderstorms cause about 100 lightning strikes to earth each second.

The phenomenology of lightning strikes to earth, as presently understood, follows an approximate behavior:

1. The downward Leaders from a thundercloud pulse towards earth seeking out active electrical ground targets.

2. Ground-based objects (fences, trees, blades of grass, corners of buildings, people, lightning rods, etc., etc.) emit varying degrees of electric activity during this event. Upward Streamers are launched from some of these objects. A few tens of meters off the ground, a "collection zone" is established according to the intensified local electrical field.

3. Some Leader(s) likely will connect with some Streamer(s). Then, the "switch" is closed and the current flows. We see lightning.

Education
Lightning safety should be practiced by all people during thunderstorms. Preparedness includes: get indoors or in a car; avoid water and all metal objects; get off the high ground; avoid solitary trees; stay off the telephone. If caught outdoors during nearby lightning, adopt the Lightning Safety Position (LSP). LSP means staying away from other people, taking off all metal objects, crouching with feet together, head bowed, and placing hands on ears to reduce acoustic shock.

Measuring lightning's distance is easy. Use the "Flash/Bang" (F/B) technique. For every count of five from the time of seeing the lightning stroke to hearing the associated thunder, lightning is one mile away. A F/B of 10 = 2 miles; a F/B of 20 = 4 miles, etc. Since the distance from Strike A to Strike B to Strike C can be as much as 5-8 miles. Be conservative and suspend activities when you first hear thunder, if possible. Do not resume outdoor activities until 20 minutes has past from the last observable thunder or lightning.

http://www.lightningsafety.com/nlsi_lhm/lpts.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Lupe]

Good information everyone...

Liz, Mitch and I were at Rockport last night...one bout of storms had already moved through and we thought it would be clear after that, but after only a short time on the water we saw more lightning up the river. As much as we hated it, we got out immediately and walked up and sat under the pavilion to wait it out.

The first line that had moved through before we got there had knocked quite a few large branches off of trees, so the path along the river is quite choked with tree limbs. Then incredibly, after we went back down to the river after the second bout seemed to have moved away, an entire sycamore tree had fallen across the path in the time we were gone! (luckily not on top of our boats which we had left by the river!). We only got a bit more surfing in when we realized the water was dropping and it fell off pretty quick.

Anyway - this thread is a good reminder to take precautions when these little thunder storms pop up this time of year....and if anyone is heading to Rockport, you might want to take a saw! :shock: Actually, I assume that the folks that maintain the park will help clear all the debris up, but I'm sure they wouldn't mind a hand with it if anyone felt so inclined. We tried to move some stuff out of the way, but the big stuff was too heavy without being cut up. All those falling tree limbs had us keeping our helmets on even when on shore! :shock: