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FLOODS & LIGHTNING—Know the threat and be prepared.
Tangipahoa OHSEP information and checklists.
OVERVIEW
Our area is prone to thunderstorms, especially during hot
summer afternoons and thunderstorms can spawn lightning strikes and heavy rains
that lead to flooding. At signs of an impending storm, high towering thunderheads,
dark skies, lightning, increased wind...tune in your local radio or television
station for the latest weather information to stay informed.
Thunderstorms can occur anywhere in the world and at any
time of the day. All thunderstorms produce lightning and thunder. Some have the
potential to produce damaging straight-line winds, large hail, heavy rain,
flooding, and tornadoes.
FLOODS KILL MORE ...
Floods, especially flash floods, kill more people each year
than hurricanes, tornadoes, wind storms or lightning. About 60% of all flood deaths
are people in vehicles that moving water sweeps away. If you drive into seemingly
shallow water, you could land your car or truck in water two or three feet deep,
which is enough to float a car away. The graphic above shows how this can lead to
a car or truck being tossed into a ditch, most times drowning its passengers if
they haven’t already fled.
Experts advise you not to drive or wade into flood water at all,
especially if you can’t see the bottom. Water over a road, no matter how deep, can hide
washed-out pavement. As little as six inches of moving water is enough to float a small
car and carry it away. Flowing water can be deceptively strong, packing a significant
punch no one expects: Fresh water moving at only 4 mph, a brisk walking pace, exerts
a force of about 66 pounds on each square foot of anything it encounters; Double
the water speed to 8 mph and the force zooms to about 264 pounds per square foot.
That’s enough force to punch a car or light truck off a flooded road if the water’s up
to door level. Imagine what it would do to a person!
LIGHTNING INJURES 300 PEOPLE A YEAR ...
During every minute of every day, roughly 1,800 thunderstorms
are creating lightning somewhere on Earth. Though the chances of being struck by
lightning are estimated at 1 in 700,000, these huge electrical sparks are one of
the leading causes of weather-related deaths in the USA each year with an average
of 73 people killed; about 300 people usually are injured by lightning.
Lightning is an electrical discharge, a giant spark of
electricity, from mature storm clouds that can strike with deadly force. A crisp
bolt of lightning can easily display its intensity, but the thick clouds of a
thunderstorm, with embedded heavy rain squalls, often mask lightning's danger.
The average lightning stroke has a peak electrical
current of 30,000 amps. Extreme lightning discharges can reach 10 times that,
while some discharges, especially those within a cloud, are only a few thousand
amps. In terms more people are familiar with, the electricity flowing within
a lightning bolt can reach 200 million volts. Combined with the high amperage,
lightning has enough energy to kill instantly.
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Floods and heavy rain can and does occur often in Louisiana. Click HERE for some important
preparedness tips.
(1) If you hear a severe thunderstorm warning, stay indoors.
(2) If you are swimming or boating, get out of water immediately.
(3) If you are outside, crouch down on the balls of your feet when you feel your hair stand on end.
(4) If you are inside unplug all unnecessary appliances.
(5) Avoid bathtubs, water faucets and sinks; pipes can conduct electricity.
(1) Stand near trees, poles, overhead wires or water.
(2) Touch metal objects like bikes, golf clubs or fences.
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(3) Plug in electrical equipment such as hair dryers or razors.
(4) Use the telephone except for emergencies.
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