Community Chat

[itiswhatitis]

that scares you the most?  Once in a while we get one without the other where I live.  Sometimes we get both.  Thunder startles me when its strong, but nothing puts true fear in my bones than lightening.

Two women in the same area were hit by lightening within10 minutes of each other over the weekend.  Both will live to tell their stories (thank goodness).

News 12 is told that one woman was struck while sitting in her car in the parking lot at Jenkinson's. Another woman struck was on the beach a few blocks away. In that instance, a lifeguard revived the 63-year-old victim after she collapsed on the...

I thought being in your car was supposed to one of the safest places to be when lightning is around.

http://www.app.com/story/news/local/emergencies/2016/07/16/lightning-strikes-2-point-pleasant-beach/...

[Q4u]

The noise usually doesn't scare or startle me too much..... but I try to figure out from the boom (and counting 1 second per mile) just about where the lightening might be....   I'm way to practical not to be potentially frightened of lightening.

A friend of mine lived in Chicago and one lightening storm they had went right through the front screen and hit the wall across the living room!!  They were so superstitious that they were lucky enough to all survive that fluke that they never repaired the burned section of their wall!  I was certainly impressed that lightening could even do that (I was young) and recommended that they put a frame around it....  !!

[January121]

@itiswhatitis .... I am terrified of lightening ..... I shut off the TV .... never use the phone ..... close all oh the windows & blinds & sit in a safe place until the storm passes!!!! 😱

[Annabellethecat66]

Well.....back a few  years ago lightning hit the tree next to my house, bounced off and hit the roof, catching it on fire.

In came the fire department and tore down the ceilings and the place was like a war zone.  

Exactly 5 months later we moved back into our house.  We lived in a hotel for a full 5 months (at a cost to the insurance company of $1,000 per week), we ate anywhere we wanted to eat each meal and we got all new furniture, new everything.

That was when my husband was alive.  He kept track of everything.  He was an investor/builder so he knew how to keep the project going (he didn't do it, but made sure it was done right).

He died a few years ago.  So......I hear the thunder and lightning and I live in an all electric home so the lights go out quite frequently.

I don't get afraid.  I was alone when the house caught on fire (he was away on business).  I took care of everything until he got home (had to get the hole in the roof fixed immediately, raining in it).

I just don't worry about it.  There's nothing I can do.  There are so many trees around our house it's crazy.  

My poor cat (Katie) freaks out!  Billy on the other hand sleeps through it.

[Q4u]

I understand that if the lightening hits the car itself then it's grounded and the electricity will ground itself through the walls of the car.  However if the lightening goes through a window and hits the occupant then the lightening will go into the person.... 

[itiswhatitis]

The thunder doesn't bother me that much.  Sometimes its so loud that it can make car alarms go off.  

That's just awful.  Five months?  Thank goodness there was no bodily injury to you and your loved ones.  

My family roots are Southern.  I was taught all lights out, no phones, keep still when there is a lightning storm.  I've strayed from this during my adult life though.

[itiswhatitis]

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@Q4u wrote:

I understand that if the lightening hits the car itself then it's grounded and the electricity will ground itself through the walls of the car.  However if the lightening goes through a window and hits the occupant then the lightening will go into the person.... 

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I had always heard that since your car has rubber tires they would act as the "grounding" for any lightening strike.  OMG.  No place is safe from it.  I'm so scared of it.  I won't go near windows when its lightening.  

[willdob3]

It has never occurred to me to be scared of either. They can both startle me and make me jump but I know what it is.

[itiswhatitis]

Lightning kills as many as 2,000 people worldwide every year. Hundreds more people are struck but survive, usually with lingering and debilitating symptoms. Here are some things you can do to avoid electrical storms or decrease your chances of getting struck.

Safety Tips

• If outside, seek refuge in a car or grounded building when lightning or thunder begins.
• If inside, avoid taking baths, or showers, and washing dishes. Also avoid using landline phones, televisions, and other appliances that conduct electricity.
• Stay inside for 30 minutes after you last see lightning or hear thunder. People have been struck by lightning from storms centered as far as 10 miles (16 kilometers) away.
• If caught outside away from a building or car, stay clear of water bodies and tall objects like trees. Find a low spot or depression and crouch down as low as possible, but don't lie down on the ground. Lightning can move in and along the ground surface, and many victims are struck not by bolts but by this current.

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/natural-disasters/lightning-safety-tips/

[raven-blackbird]

thunder can't kill ya...............lightning can................................raven