Tips For Lightning Safety
Summertime brings time spent at the community pool, backyard cookouts and vacations. It also brings afternoon thunderstorms, which brings lightning. Some of these can be very violent and even cause flash flooding. If you spend time outside, we thought providing these simple lightning safety tips would be a good reminder on how to stay safe during a thunderstorm.
Know The Forecast
Being aware of potential storms is the first step in being safe during one. Almost every local television station offers weather forecasts and live radar on their website, and most have apps for your cell phone as well. Weather.com and Weatherbug are two great resources as well. It is also possible to subscribe to alert systems that will send an alarm to your phone to let you know there is a risk.
Look Up
Even if you do not have a resource on your cell phone to alert you to impending danger, or do not have your cell phone with you when you are outdoors, look up. A change in the wind, temperature or darkening skies are all signs that a change in the weather is about to occur.
Head Indoors
When dangerous weather is approaching, head indoors. By indoors we mean a sturdy building or a car. Avoid places such as sheds, picnic shelters, baseball dugouts and bleachers.
No Structures?
If no structures are available, crouch down in an open area. Do not stand under a tree. In fact, stay twice as far from a tree as it is tall.
Stay Out of Water
We’re not really sure why someone would even go in the water during a thunderstorm but wanted to make sure to include this point. Water is a great conductor of electricity so a lightning strike that is not even close to you is dangerous.
Avoid Being Near Metal Objects
Just like water, metals are goo electric conductors. Stay away from antennas, clotheslines, fences, etc.
Lastly, if someone has been struck by lightning, call 911 immediately. The injured person does not carry an electric charge so it is safe to touch them and administer aid.
Allentuck Landscaping Co. is Your Residential Landscape Company
Phone: 301-515-1900 Email: info@allentucklandscaping.com
At Allentuck Landscaping Company, our mission is to create beautiful environments for people to enjoy. We see landscaping as a way to improve people’s lives.
The Allentuck Landscaping Company team has been delighting homeowners in Maryland, Washington DC and Northern Virginia for over 28 years with our turnkey approach to landscape design, installation, construction and maintenance. Most companies try to serve many types of customers at the same time; homeowners, shopping centers, office buildings and the list goes on. At Allentuck Landscaping Co., we focus on one customer, you, the homeowner. We have a singular focus on bringing you the best landscape practices, the best customer service, and the best value for your home.
Services Provide – Master Landscape Plans, Complete Maintenance Programs, Plantings, Patios, Walkways, Retaining Walls, Water Features, Outdoor Lighting, Outdoor Kitchens, Trellises & Pergolas, Irrigation Systems, Drainage Solutions, Grading & Sodding. Fire Pits & Fire Places, Spring Clean Ups, Decks, Fences, Mosquito & Tick Control, Deer Control.
Areas Served – Chevy Chase, Bethesda, Potomac, Rockville, North Potomac, Darnestown, Gaithersburg, Germantown, Damascus, Boyds, Clarksburg, Ijamsville, Urbana, Frederick in Maryland and Washington DC.