DangerCamping
Lightening Safety
Mick Cole
Anyone hiking in an area subject to thunderstorms (which is most or perhaps all of us) needs, at a minimum, to be aware of the following rules, the violation of at least some of which were almost certainly a significant factor in two recent scouting deaths:
LIGHTNING SAFETY TIPS
- AVOID: Avoid water. Avoid all metallic objects. Avoid the high ground. Avoid solitary tall trees. Avoid close contact with others - spread out 15-20 ft.
- APART: Avoid contact with dissimilar objects (water & land; boat & land; rock & ground; tree & ground). Avoid open spaces.
- SEEK: Seek clumps of shrubs or trees of uniform height. Seek ditches, trenches or the low ground. Seek a low, crouching position with feet together with hands on ears to minimize acoustic shock from thunder.
- KEEP: Keep a high level of safety awareness for thirty minutes after the last observed lightning or thunder.
Lightening Links
Joe Jansen
- Lightning safety information will be found at
http://www.lightningsafety.com/nlsi_pls/lst.html
- NOAA has lightning safety information at
http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/
- A lightning safety quiz will be found at http://www.mos.org/sln/toe/safety.html
- Lightning safety rules will be found at
http://www.lightning.org/safety.htm
- A web site constructed to participate in Lightning Safety Awareness Week (June 19-25 2005) is at
http://www.kidslightning.info/
- A civil defense web site on lightning safety is at
http://www.co.honolulu.hi.us/ocda/thunder4.htm
Bill Nelson
- Also see:
Rain Management
We treat the eureka tents once every two years, use vestibules and then the boys use plastic on the interior floors of the tents to keep their bags /gear dry. Shoes stay out in the vestibules and they stay dry there provided they are set-up correctly.
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