Release: Lightning Safety Tips from Nassau County

This release was submitted to Patch by Nassau County.

In observance of National Lightning Safety Awareness Week, June 19-25, Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano today reminded residents that being outside is the most dangerous place to be during a lightning or thunderstorm. 

Every thunderstorm produces lightning, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), with an average of 300 people injured and 80 people killed each year by lightning.

“With more people outdoors during the summer and the fact that Long Island often has warm, humid conditions throughout the summer months that are conducive to thunderstorms and lightning, I encourage residents to take every precaution during a thunderstorm,” Mangano said.

Lightning safety tips include:

• Get inside a building or a hard-topped automobile.
• Wear rubber-soled shoes.
• Avoid contact with corded phones.
• Avoid contact with electrical equipment or cords. If you plan to unplug any electronic equipment, do so well before the storm arrives.
• Avoid contact with plumbing. Do not wash your hands; do not take a shower; do not wash dishes; and do not do laundry.
• Stay away from windows and doors, and stay off porches.
• Do not lie on concrete floors, and do not lean against concrete walls.

 If a person is struck by lightning:

• Call 911 for medical assistance as soon as possible.
• Breathing — if breathing has stopped, begin mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
• Heartbeat — if the heart has stopped, administer CPR.
• Pulse — if the victim has a pulse and is breathing, check for other possible injuries including where the lightning entered the body.  Also be alert for nervous system damage, broken bones and loss of hearing and/or eyesight.

For more information on lightning safety, please visit: www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov.