When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors!

Lightning Safety Week: June 21-27, 2009

Check this site for handouts, indoor safety and outdoor risk reduction tips, medical facts, history, survivor stories, photos, teacher tools, kids page and more.

New 30-second video of teen struck by lightning.

• June 16, 2009: Press Release: When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors
• Read Ellen Bryan's Personal Story on Lightning Safety
  
• Easy to use brochure: Lightning Safety for You and Your Family
• Lightning Safety IQ test featuring Leon the Lightning Lion
  

Summer is the peak season for one of the nation's deadliest weather phenomena— lightning. But don't be fooled, lightning strikes year round. The goal of this Website is to safeguard U.S. residents from lightning. In the United States, an average of 58 people are killed each year by lightning:

• To date, in 2009, 27 people have been killed by lightning
• 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:
  
  • 100% outside
  • 79% male
  • 36% males between the ages of 20-25
  • 32% under a tree
  • 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.

Lightning is a serious danger. Through this site we hope you'll learn more about lightning risks and how to protect yourself, your loved ones and your belongings. As a start, get an overview of Lightning Safety or stop by our comprehensive page of handouts, brochures, links and more.