Vicious weather: Tips to stay safe from severe thunderstorms

Weather experts warned about the deadly power of lightning after the recent severe thunderstorms across the country.

A Gauteng woman who lost her 48-year-old son when he was struck by lightning last year, agreed to speak anonymously.

“A year ago my son promised to take his 11-year-old boy fishing at a lake close to home,” she said.

She said her grandson still caught a fish and her son sent that photo to his wife minutes before the tragedy.

“He was up to his hips in the water and then the lightning struck and it was a direct hit into his heart chamber. The paramedics declared him dead on the scene,” she said.

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General practitioner Dr Leon Odendaal said he has only treated one person struck by lightning, many years ago.

“The guy had a massive water blister on his heel, but like a first-degree burn,” Odendaal said.

Lightning strike a painless death

He said besides that the patient seemed to be fine. According to Prof Ryan Blumenthal, a senior specialist forensic pathologist at the University of Pretoria, less than 5% of victims are struck by the lightning bolt itself.

“A direct lightning strike is probably one of the quickest deaths anyone could have. The victim is injected with millions of amps and billions of volts and will not see it, hear it or even feel it.”

Blumenthal said most lightning deaths or injuries were caused by indirect lightning: touch potential, side flash, step voltages, upward streamers, and blast waves (barotrauma).

“Touch potential accounts for 15% to 25% of casualties. This occurs when lightning travels through a metallic object and a person touches the metal object.”

It might be a corded telephone or a television set. In side flashes high voltage passes through a tall object such as a tree or pole, then discharges into a person standing close by, accounting for about 20% to 30% of casualties.

Upward streamers account for 10% to 15% of the injuries and deaths.

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“Currents can rise through a person’s body towards the sky, before the charge collapses back to earth,” he said.

Shock waves (barotrauma) can occur when a person is very close to the point of the strike. Blumenthal added animals could be injured by step voltages produced by a lightning current flowing through the soil.

Safety precautions

• The City of Tshwane emergency services department deputy chief and spokesperson, Charles Mabaso, said they were prepared for December and January emergencies in Tshwane.
• In light of the recent severe thunderstorms recorded in Gauteng, Mabaso said it was important to have a lightning safety plan and to know where you will go for safety, and to ensure that you have enough time to get there.
• Postpone activities if thunderstorms are forecast. Monitor the weather. Once outside, look for signs of developing or approaching thunderstorms, such as towering clouds, darkening skies or flashes of lightning.
• Get to a safe place: if you hear thunder, even a distant rumble, seek safety immediately. Fully enclosed buildings with wiring and plumbing are best. A hard-topped metal vehicle with the windows closed is also safe. Stay inside until 30 minutes after the last rumble. Sheds, picnic shelters, tents or covered porches do not protect you from lightning.
• If you hear thunder, do not use a corded phone except in an emergency: cordless phones and cellphones are safe.
• Keep away from electrical equipment and plumbing.
• Do not take a bath or shower, or wash dishes during a storm.