"When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors!"

Lightning Safety Awareness Week

"When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors!"

June 19-25, 2011

photo © 2008 Bruce Guenter | more info (via: Wylio)

The Nation will celebrate National Lightning Safety Awareness Week, June 19-25, 2011.

NOAA states that 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 their Website is to safeguard U.S. residents from lightning. In the United States, an average of 55 people are killed each year by lightning.

Hundreds of people are permanently injured each year. People struck by lightning suffer from a variety of long-term, debilitating symptoms, including memory loss, attention deficits, sleep disorders, chronic pain, numbness, dizziness, stiffness in joints, irritability, fatigue, weakness, muscle spasms, depression, and more.

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

• To find out more visit: Lightning Safety Awareness Week
• "Lightning: What You Need to Know"  click here
• "Lightning Safety Tools for Teachers" click here

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 55 people are killed each year by lightning. To date, there has been 5 deaths in 2011. Find out the sad facts about lightning deaths in previous years.

BRFAL Chapter of Virginia Master Naturalist wants you to get outside and explore and learn something new today. We hope these resources are useful tools for you and encourage you to be safe and be wise in the outdoors!