Lightning is a real danger

YESTERDAY’S lead story of a family home that was burnt to ashes by a lightning bolt made sad reading.

Fortunately, the family was away when the incident happened.

While rains are a most welcome sight to Zimbabwe, there are a few areas we need to be cautious of, lightning being chief among them.

People should take precautionary measures such as avoiding being at isolated places or being the sole target at open spaces, avoid contact with electrical gadgets or seeking shelter under isolated tall trees during rainy periods.

The rains that have swept across the country in recent days have raised fears of lightning and other rainfall-related dangers.

Being struck by lightning, especially under the safety of one’s own roof, is something that can easily be avoided.

The basic tips we received from teachers in primary school as part of our Geography studies must continue to be emphasised for the safety of people - adults included this rainy season.

Avoid being out in any open areas like fields, golf courses, or parking lots.

Here you are the tallest thing around, and the easiest target. Velds and open grasslands in rural areas also put people at risk of being struck by lightning.

People should know the importance of staying away from metal objects during rainy days.

Lightning is electricity and metal is a conductor of electricity and the combination of such electricity conductors with a person, who also conducts electricity, can have disastrous consequences.

Some people - children especially - are enticed to swim while it rains, mostly after getting wet during a storm.

Adults must teach children not to swim or play near water when it rains as it puts them at risk of being struck by lightning.

Children should also be told not to fly kites in the rain or take cover under tall objects like trees during a storm.

They should stay away from the tallest objects in the area as much as possible and such education should be promoted at schools, homes and amongst communities to avoid lightning dangers.

It would be good for drivers to know that they can take cover in the safety of their vehicles even if the cars are the tallest objects in the stormy area and not be at risk of being struck by lightning.

People with homesteads should also know how to protect their houses from lightning during storms.

In urban areas use surge protectors, not ordinary power strips, at each outlet connected to electronics or appliances; have a secondary lightning arrester or suppressor installed at the point where power lines connect to the home; and consider purchasing a lightning protection system to divert lightning away from the home.

In rural areas, it is important to ground lightning rods or conductors near, but away from the houses or huts.