“When thunder roars, go indoors.” So reads the safety manual released by the National Centre for Environmental Health in the US. This is because it is believed that, while rare, the chances of being struck by lightning increase when the human ear can hear thunder.
Not being outside for the duration of a thunderstorm is best practice. However, if you do find yourself outdoors, avoid open fields and hilltops, and don't shelter under tall, isolated trees. Lower-lying areas, such as a wadi or ravine, are safer than elevated surfaces.
According to National Geographic, while you should head to a low spot, lying down flat is not recommended, as lightning can move along the ground surface, and this current can be as dangerous as a direct lightning bolt.
Inside a car with a hardtop roof, with the windows wound up, is one of the safest places to be. The enclosed, all-metallic casing ensures that, were lightning to strike, the charge would go around outside the vehicle, suggests car retailer Arnold Clark, thus creating a Faraday effect and protecting those within.
However, it's best to avoid touching any metallic areas of the car, outside and in.
Likewise, avoid being near or coming into contact with fences, poles and other metal objects when outside, and even exercise caution in the home by avoiding electronic equipment.
According to the lightning safety tips, published by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, computers, laptops, gaming systems, washers and hobs – anything connected to an electrical outlet – is potentially risky to use during a thunderstorm.
This is because lightning can travel through electrical systems, metal wires and even through the plumbing if a house or building is equipped with metal rather than plastic pipes.
Cordless or mobile phones are safer to use than corded phones, and swimming and camping should be avoided during a thunder or lightning storm.
What happens when lightning strikes?
Most lightning strikes are not fatal. They can, however, cause temporary paralysis, unconsciousness and minor to major burns depending on the severity of the strike.
Some people report a temporary loss of hearing and sight.
More serious symptoms include seizures, cardiac arrest, electrical damage to capillaries and sensory loss.
How to help someone struck by lightning
No electric charge remains in a person struck by lightning, so help can be administered immediately, or right after alerting medical authorities.
A person who has been rendered unconscious by a lightning strike may appear not to be breathing or have a pulse, but the New York State Department of Health suggests reviving those who are unconscious first – using CPR – as they are at greater risk than those who can communicate.
Finally, according to the First-Aid Training Co-operative, victims may be confused or nauseous, so communicate with them accordingly and keep them calm until more help arrives.
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
The years Ramadan fell in May
More from Neighbourhood Watch
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Destroyer
Director: Karyn Kusama
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Toby Kebbell, Sebastian Stan
Rating: 3/5
UAE release: January 31
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The biog
Family: wife, four children, 11 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren
Reads: Newspapers, historical, religious books and biographies
Education: High school in Thatta, a city now in Pakistan
Regrets: Not completing college in Karachi when universities were shut down following protests by freedom fighters for the British to quit India
Happiness: Work on creative ideas, you will also need ideals to make people happy
If you go
- The nearest international airport to the start of the Chuysky Trakt is in Novosibirsk. Emirates (www.emirates.com) offer codeshare flights with S7 Airlines (www.s7.ru) via Moscow for US$5,300 (Dh19,467) return including taxes. Cheaper flights are available on Flydubai and Air Astana or Aeroflot combination, flying via Astana in Kazakhstan or Moscow. Economy class tickets are available for US$650 (Dh2,400).
- The Double Tree by Hilton in Novosibirsk ( 7 383 2230100,) has double rooms from US$60 (Dh220). You can rent cabins at camp grounds or rooms in guesthouses in the towns for around US$25 (Dh90).
- The transport Minibuses run along the Chuysky Trakt but if you want to stop for sightseeing, hire a taxi from Gorno-Altaisk for about US$100 (Dh360) a day. Take a Russian phrasebook or download a translation app. Tour companies such as Altair-Tour ( 7 383 2125115 ) offer hiking and adventure packages.
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
