The danger increases with the arrival of the first storms. ray effect on goods and people. These natural events are the cause of forest fires as well as death and serious injury. In fact, according to statistics, 10 to 12 people die each year in Spain due to lightning strikes (2,000 worldwide). Without going any further, two tourists died on a beach in Mallorca a few weeks ago when hit by one of these discharges. Therefore, it is not an element that should be overlooked, but an important risk that should be avoided.
Lightning does not die when it hits the ground, but can continue to spread over the surface by forming multiple branches. In fact, this fact may have caused the death of these two tourists in Mallorca, because lightning can kill two or more people even if they don’t touch each other. Like this, Many lightning deaths occur not because lightning strikes the person directly, but because it is transmitted over the ground.
Also, lightning can strike a certain distance from where the storm is occurring, so it is a false sense of peace to think that we are protected from this danger by not being directly under it. Lightning can travel several kilometers from the center of the storm and looking for the best place to strike will be where the electrical discharge of the cloud finds more positive charges on the ground to combine and form the lightning.
What to do to avoid being affected by these downloads?
Metal objects attract lightning, so if you’re in or near a storm, get rid of them. As a curiosity, golfers are scapegoats because when playing outdoors and holding a metal rod, they become an ideal element for lightning to contact them.
Required in an electrical storm, if we are at home, close the doors and windows because these can create drafts and they attract lightning.. Since lightning loves to run through wires, it is necessary to avoid showering or contact with water using a landline phone or any electrical device. If one of them falls on a stick or pole, it can get into the house via wiring, destroying computers, televisions, and other devices. Of course, they need to be unplugged until the storm passes.
In case of staying abroad and the best thing to do is be surprised by these phenomena In the carwithout knocking on doors. The metal structure of the car conducts the electric current to the outside and eventually directs it to the ground. It is a Faraday cage phenomenon and is the same as what happens in airplanes.
And what protects the car in the event of a discharge is the structure of the vehicle, not the wheels, as many people misunderstand. The beam passes through the metal and then jumps to the ground from its underside.
If you have no shelter in the open, never lie down or lie down; It is better to stay crouched with the feet together so as not to present an entry and exit point to the ejaculation.
You don’t have to run in these situations either, because that’s just another way of attracting lightning.
According to Gisbert Calabuig’s book ‘Medicina legal y toxicología’, the frequency of accidents related to these phenomena is slightly higher, as more electrical storms are recorded in Mediterranean countries. And other studies are already showing that one of the consequences of global warming will be an increase in extreme atmospheric events involving more lightning.
Basic tips:
- If you are openTake shelter inside a car or building when thunder or lightning strikes. Do not go out to the balcony to take pictures with your mobile phone during the storm. There is no shelter under the trees.
- if you are at homeAvoid bathing or showering and washing dishes. You should also avoid using landline phones, televisions, and other devices that transmit electricity. Unplug the devices.
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stay inside 30 minutes after seeing the last thunder or lightning. There are people struck by lightning from storms whose center is 16 kilometers away.
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If it surprises you, outside, away from a building or car, stay. away from bodies of water and tall objects like trees. Find a low spot or depression in the ground, but do not lie on the ground. Lightning can travel across the surface, and most victims are struck by this current, not lightning.
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