Protective Action Planning Guidelines For Thunderstorms

• Usually thunder can be heard for a distance of about 10 miles. Lightning can strike ten miles or more from the rain shaft.
  
  
• Generally speaking, if lightning can be seen or thunder heard, people are at some risk of a lightning strike. That risk continues to increase as the storm approaches.
  
  
• If lightning is seen or thunder is heard; people should immediately begin moving towards cover.
  
  
• The ultimate responsibility for an individual's safety lies with the individual.
  
  
• Event coordinators should designate an individual(s) to monitor weather conditions 24 hours per day using local reliable sources and direct observation. Monitoring should begin two days before participants are expected to arrive. Pay more attention to lightning threat than rain.
  
  
• Parents, guardians, and adults must take responsibility for children or special needs people in their care.
  
  
• Any object has the potential to be struck by lightning, especially if the object protrudes above the ground.
  
  
• No area is absolutely safe.
  
  
• Areas that are not safe or offer poor protection should be identified in pre-convention planning.
  
  
• Areas that will provide good protection should be identified in pre-convention planning
  
  
• Both types of areas should have safety monitors/advisors to advise people of behaviors putting them at risk. Monitors/advisors should be trained to recognize situations of increased risk of lightning strike.
  
  
• When aroups are involved, the time needed to move people into safer areas increases greatly. This requires earlier action. Early action can increase the chance of a localized storm not reaching the convention area and giving the impression of a false warning (crying wolf, Chicken Little).
  
  
• Most people killed by lightning are males between the acres of 20 and 40 (most active and least likely croup to seek shelter) during the months of June, Julv, and August.
  
  
• Lightning storms are inconvenient and wilt cause disruption of normal activities.
  
  
• Average distance between successive ground strikes is 2 - 3 miles.
  
  
• Maine has the 8th highest casualty rate due to lightning strikes.