STAY SAFE FROM LIGHTNING
July is the peak month for dangerous thunderstorms in many parts of the country. Here’s what you can do to protect yourself and your horse.
Picking blueberries. Swimming. Fishing. Building a treehouse. Sightseeing. Hiking. Walking on the beach. And, yes, horseback riding. All of these activities evoke relaxed summer days. More chillingly, accord-ing (NWS), all of these are also listed among the activities people were engaged in when they were killed by lightning strikes in 2014.
In all, 26 people died after being struck by lightning in 2014, and an average of 35 people per year were killed between 2003 and 2012; an estimated 300 people per year are struck by lightning but survive. No one keeps statistics on the number of horses killed by lightning, but we’ve all heard of these tragedies. Being struck by lightning may seem like a remote possibility while you’re going about your summer day, and it is: The odds of your being struck in a given year are roughly one in a million. However, the risks are higher if you spend more time outdoors in rural areas, and if you live in places such as Florida or the “tornado alley” states of the Midwest, where lightning strikes are much more common. And although lightning fatalities occur in every month of the year, the annual incidence peaks in July.
By understanding a little bit about how lightning works, you can take steps to reduce the risk of harm---for yourself, your horses and your property. Here’s what you need to know.
REDUCE RISK: ON YOUR PROPERTY
The moment you hear a distant rumble, you are within range of a potential lightning strike. According to the NWS, a significant number of victims were struck because they waited too long before seeking shelter, or they didn’t wait long enough to emerge after the storm had passed. Lightning may strike as far as 10 miles from a storm, even in areas with blue skies and no rain, and strikes may occur as long as 30 minutes before or after the main part of a storm moves through an area.
If you are in your yard or around your farm when you first hear thunder, head inside. The only safe place to be during a thunderstorm is inside a fully
enclosed and safely grounded building such as a house or a modern barn. Porches, open-sided run-in sheds or gazebos are not safe shelters: If you’re standing too near the opening, a lightning strike on the roof may use you as its path to the ground, and ground strikes may travel over dirt floors through a shed.
Even inside a house or barn, remember that if the building is struck, deadly surges of electricity can travel through plumbing, electrical wiring, concrete rebar and other metal components of the structure. According to the Centers for Disease Control, about a third of all lightning-related injuries occur indoors. You’ll want to stay away from metal-framed windows and doors and avoid contact with running water or corded electrical appliances. Also do not lean on concrete walls or lie on concrete floors.
If you can’t get into a building, a hard-topped car or metal-enclosed vehicle is a good second choice. Do not get into a convertible or other opentopped vehicle. According to the NWS, it’s not the rubber tires that protect you while you’re in a car; it’s the
metal frame. If the vehicle is struck, the electricity will pass through the frame, around the occupant, to reach the ground. Convertibles offer no protection to an occupant.
Trailers offer similar protection to horses. If you’re at a horse show or close to a trailhead when you first hear thunder, put your horses in the trailer, then get into the cab of the truck and wait out the storm. “What’s most important about putting them in the trailer is that you’re putting them in a metal container that wraps around them,” says John Gookin, PhD, of the National Outdoor Leadership School in Lander, Wyoming.
A bolt of lightning heats the surrounding air to 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit–five times hotter than the surface of the sun.
Source: National Weather Service