Lighting Strike

imported
#1 
									Hikers injured in lightning strike on Appalachian Trail in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

Monday, May 25, 2009

By JIM DEEGAN The Express-Times HARDWICK TWP.

Four people were hurt by a lightning strike on the Appalachian Trail in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.

Rescuers reached the injured at 6:15 p.m., about an hour after one of nine in the group called the National Park Service’s emergency communications center.

Two men and two women were hurt.

“They were not directly struck by lightning,” said Deb Nordeen, a spokeswoman with the National Park Service. “Lightning apparently hit the ground near them and they subsequently received injuries.”

It happened during a severe thunderstorm on a popular part of the trail about a mile south of Sunfish Pond in northern Warren County. The area is about two miles east of the Pennsylvania line.

Nordeen late Sunday said she was uncertain of the extent of the injuries or the ages of those involved.

The injured were taken to Pocono Medical Center in East Stroudsburg, Pa. A nursing supervisor there said she couldn’t release any patient information.

All were conscious when rescuers reached the victims, Nordeen said.

Initially, two of the hikers were unable to speak but became mobile and communicative by the time they left the mountain, she said.

									_Bilko_
#2 
									Avoiding Lightning Danger

An average of 67 people are killed by lightning each year in the United States, more than the number killed by tornadoes or hurricanes.

Most incidents occur between 2 and 6 p.m. during the summer months, with 30 percent of all deaths and injuries occurring during July. More incidents are caused by indirect strikes, where lightning strikes a nearby tree, other object, or the ground, than by direct strikes.

The safest place to be is in a large, enclosed building. a shelter will do in a lighting storm.

If you are outdoors and unable to reach shelter:
Take defensive action whenever there are fewer than 30 to 40 seconds between a lightning flash and the resulting thunder (meaning the lightning is within six to eight miles).

It is advisable to remain out of exposed areas for 30 minutes after the last rumble of thunder is heard.
Avoid water, metallic objects, high ground, solitary tall trees, and simultaneous contact with dissimilar objects (water/land, rock/ground, or tree/ground).
Seek clumps of trees or shrubs of uniform height, away from high ground, but avoid ditches, or trenches, due to the possibility of flash flooding. Shed metal hiking poles, metal-framed packs, and tools.

To minimize the possibility of multiple victims in a group of people, spread out to at least 15 to 20 feet apart.
If your hair stands on end or your skin tingles, if you are aware of objects vibrating, or hear a crackling or humming sound, lightning is imminent—immediately crouch with feet together, to minimize contact with the ground, and place hands over ears to lessen acoustic shock.

Can you tell that I teach this stuff in my First Aid classes.

									_Bilko_
#3 
									thanks!  that is very helpful!:girl 

									_frogcaller_
#4 
									If you're in a building (shelter), get as far away from any openings as possible.  There may be an arc across the openings.  Likewise, stay out of shallow caves and rock overhangs, and that's another good reason to stay out of ditches.

Keeping a group of people caught in the open separated is very good practice, and I’ve heard the distance should be much more than 20’. Think of the magnitudes involved–a electric discharge has just arced across a mile or so of open air. I’d rather be several hundred feet away from something that strong.

I’ve always felt safe sitting on my dry insulated sleeping pad under my tarp or in a tent. When I’m caught on high ground, that’s what I do.

									_Garlic_
#5 
									Bilko, I think you mean "Take defensive action whenever there are fewer than 3 to 4 seconds between a lightning flash and the resulting thunder (meaning the lightning is within six to eight miles)."  30 - 40 seconds is a lot farther than 6-8 miles away.

Otherwise, good information to share. Thanks!

									_bugleboy_
#6 
									I had to think about the timing and distance, too.  The rule of thumb is 5 sec per mile, since sound travels about 1100 feet per sec.  So 30 to 40 seconds is, indeed, 6 to 8 miles.  But I do think that 6 to 8 miles is farther away than you need to worry about.  My personal threshold is two miles, or a 10 second count.

I agree, good information to share.

									_Garlic_