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Safety

Stay Safe Around Lightning

Ways to keep your family safe when lightning strikes

When summer storms shoot lightning down from the sky, there are several things you can do to keep your family safe. Here is some advice from the National Weather Service:

Stay aware of weather conditions. A simple forecast can tell you whether you need to delay outdoor activities, put away sports equipment or tools, or simply head inside to avoid danger.

Don’t touch a plugged-in computer or TV indoors when there’s a lightning storm outdoors. Stay safe by using remote controls to operate them.

To preserve expensive pieces of electronic equipment, unplug them before the storm hits. Once lightning starts, it’s not safe to touch those plugs or cords.

Stay off of corded phones. Lightning can travel through a home’s wiring. It’s OK to make calls on a cell or cordless phone during a lightning storm.

Keep a distance from anything that can conduct electricity, like power lines, barbed-wire fences and, of course, metal ladders. Avoid showering or bathing during storms, too, as metal plumbing—and the water inside it—can conduct electricity.

Don’t go outdoors during a lightning storm, and stay away from windows and doors. Even a small leak or conduction point can let lightning into your home.