If you’re an elderly person in a retirement community, you might want to know what you shouldn’t do during a lightning storm in Luling, LA. Let’s just say that some very specific safety precautions need to be taken. The safest place is inside a building or vehicle with the windows closed and no metal objects touching your skin. If you are caught outside during a storm, seek shelter immediately. Here are some things that aging family members should avoid doing during lightning storms:
Stay In The Open
During a lightning storm, the elderly should stay away from tall objects. This includes trees, poles, and other objects that could conduct electricity. It’s best to crouch instead of standing up during this weather event.
If you’re near water or metal objects during a lightning storm, it’s also best to avoid them. If you need to cross over water or metal objects during your walk around the retirement community in Luling, LA, during lightning storms (or if there is an emergency), remember: do not touch any metallic surfaces!
Be Near Tall Objects
Avoid being near tall objects. Lightning causes most injuries and deaths from storms, and the leading cause of these injuries is the presence of tall objects. If you are outdoors during a storm and unable to take shelter inside or under a sturdy structure, stay away from trees and flagpoles because they are lightning conductors. The same applies to antennas and towers on your home or in the neighborhood, as well as metal fences or anything else made of metal.
Sometimes people are injured or killed by lightning when they’re near such structures simply because it creates an electrical path between them and whatever they were holding at the time (i.e., a golf club), which can then conduct electricity into their bodies if they get too close.
Walk Around In Water
It is dangerous to walk in water during a lightning storm. Water is a conductor of electricity, which can conduct electricity from the ground to the body and vice versa. If you are on land but in contact with water, your body will become part of a circuit that flows through the ground and then returns to the earth through you. If this happens while you’re in contact with another person who has also been struck by lightning, they will experience severe burns and death.
Wear Wire-Framed Glasses
of all the things we’ve mentioned, this one is probably the most important
It’s no secret that wire-framed glasses are a serious hazard during lightning storms. If you wear them and your glasses are hit by a direct lightning strike or any associated electromagnetic field, there’s a chance that you could sustain severe damage to your eyesight or even lose it completely. For this reason, we strongly recommend wearing sunglasses instead of wire-framed glasses when you’re outdoors during storm season. If you have to wear goggles while fishing or boating in inclement weather, make sure they have plastic lenses—metal can conduct electricity and cause injury if lightning strikes. Also, remember that hats with brims provide protection from raindrops too!
Ignore Weather Reports Or Warnings
Remember weather reports and warnings. It’s easy to dismiss a storm forecast, especially if you’re not used to hearing about lightning. But don’t fool yourself into thinking that lightning can’t happen in your area—lightning can strike anywhere in the U.S., and it’s a good idea to err on the side of caution when it comes to your safety.
So, if you’re in a retirement community, don’t try these things during a lightning storm.
