How to protect yourself during lightning weather?

During military training for freshmen in a certain class, the instructor took the students to the mountains for training. At first, the military training went smoothly. However, the weather was unpredictable. Suddenly, strong winds blew, lightning tore through the thick dark clouds, and heavy rain came. When it rained, the students dispersed and hid under the trees to take shelter from the rain. Xiaorong and Xiaoxing ran to a big tree and hid together. There was a thunder, the tree was blackened by lightning, and both Xiaorong and Xiaoxing fell to the ground. Two people were sent to the hospital, but rescue efforts failed and they died.

Incidents of people being injured or killed by lightning are often reported. Why is lightning so powerful? It turns out that lightning generally occurs in cumulonimbus clouds with strong convection, so it is often accompanied by strong gusts of wind and heavy rain. The average current of lightning is 30,000 amps, and the maximum current can reach 300,000 amps. The voltage of lightning is very high, about 100 million to 1 billion volts. The power of a moderate thunderstorm can reach 10 million watts, equivalent to the output of a small nuclear power plant. Just imagine, if such a large power were completely applied to a living body, I am afraid that not even ashes would be left in the living body. There are many places in our country that are prone to lightning strikes. Therefore, it is really important to know the self-rescue and self-protection measures during thunderstorms.

Self-rescue and self-protection measures

1. Lightning always meanders along the path of least resistance. Its path in the air depends entirely on the electric field and charge distribution in the air. Usually, it is only affected by ground conditions when it is a dozen to a hundred meters above the ground. Generally speaking, the ground has good electrical conductivity and there are tall and protruding objects, etc., which are susceptible to lightning strikes. For example, the geological conditions of metal minerals with good electrical conductivity are more susceptible to lightning strikes than ordinary geological conditions. Wet soil has more chances of lightning strikes than dry soil, sand and rocky ground. Water surfaces are more susceptible to lightning strikes than dry land. Protruding buildings such as high-rise buildings and chimneys are more susceptible to lightning strikes. Things are more susceptible to lightning strikes than those on flat ground, and mountains are more susceptible to lightning strikes than valleys. When lightning strikes, if you feel your skin tingling or your hair standing on end, it is a sign that lightning is coming and you should avoid it immediately.

2. If you are under a tree, you should leave immediately. Try to avoid tall objects that are not equipped with lightning protection equipment, such as tall towers, large cranes, haystacks and tents in open areas, and do not go to commanding heights such as mountain tops or ridges. Do not get close to any part of the lightning protection equipment as they are susceptible to lightning strikes. Do not take shelter from thunderstorms at the entrance of caves, under large rocks or overhanging rocks, as these places can become spark gaps and arcs can be generated when electric current passes through them, which can injure people. But deep caves are very safe, so you should try to go inside. If you encounter a thunderstorm while swimming in a river, river, lake or swimming pool, you should go ashore and leave as soon as possible. Because the water surface is prone to lightning strikes. During a thunderstorm, if you are in an open area, you should squat on the ground immediately to reduce the risk of being struck by lightning. Do not support the ground with your hands, as this will expand the contact range between your body and the ground and increase the risk of being struck by lightning. Hold your knees with your hands, keep your chest close to your knees, and lower your head as much as possible, because the head is the most vulnerable to lightning strikes.

3. When riding a bicycle and encounter lightning, you must first put the bicycle down, keep people away from the vehicle, and throw away metal objects in your hands, such as car keys, etc., to avoid lightning.

4. Stay away from iron bars and other metal objects. It's not just a direct electric shock that's fatal. After lightning strikes a conductor, electrical energy is released instantly, and arcs are emitted to both sides for several meters. In addition, the hot electric light causes the surrounding air to expand rapidly, creating a shock wave. The sound produced by these shock waves is thunder. If heard at close range, the powerful sound waves may damage the lungs, and in severe cases can kill people.

5. Sometimes, even if you are not directly hit by lightning, accidents will occur because you are very close to the lightning strike point. Because when lightning current is discharged into the ground, the voltage value near the lightning strike point is much greater than the voltage value far away from the lightning strike point. Therefore, if a person stands with his feet separated, with one foot close to the lightning strike point and the other foot far away from the lightning strike point, a certain potential difference will occur, which is often called "step voltage". If it is too late to leave the tall object, you should find some dry insulation and place it underground, sit on it, and adopt a squatting lightning protection posture, paying attention to keeping your feet together. Never place your hands together on the ground. Never lie down. Although the height is reduced at this time, the risk of "step voltage" increases.

6. Being struck by lightning is not necessarily fatal. Many people escaped with little more than electrocution and minor burns. Others who are struck by lightning may suffer fractures (caused by muscle spasms caused by electric shock), severe burns and other trauma. Therefore, it is necessary for us to understand the rescue methods after being struck by lightning. After a person is struck by lightning current, the heart will either stop beating or beat at an extremely irregular rate and tremble. Both conditions stop circulation and cause death. At this time, stay calm and don't get excited to avoid your heart beating too fast. If your clothes catch fire, lie down immediately, roll on the ground to extinguish the flames, or lie down in a depression or pool with water to extinguish the flames. You can cool the wound with cold water, then cover the wound with a folded handkerchief, and then wrap it with a clean cloth. After emergency treatment, if you are able to act, seek help from others as soon as possible.

Preventive measures

1. During thunderstorms, be sure to close doors and windows, and stay away from doors, windows, water pipes, gas pipes and other metal objects. Turn off household appliances and unplug the power plug to prevent lightning from intruding from the power cord.

2. Pay attention to the weather forecast when going out, and do not go outdoors during thunderstorms.

3. If many people are outdoors, do not crowd each other to prevent current from conducting to each other after lightning strikes.