“When thunderstorm rolls, go indoors!” You’ve heard that advice since you were a child. Today, it’s still good advice – but it doesn’t go far enough.
Here are a few other precautionary measures well-worth heeding for your own safety: when you hear the first rumblings of thunder:
- Don’t take a bath, shower, or wash dishes. Electrical currents can travel through pipes and put you at risk of electrocution.
- Avoid standing on concrete. The metal rebar or wire mesh that is often placed in concrete is a strong conductor of electricity.
- Don’t use a landline phone. Lightning can travel through a phone line, so use your cell phone – but not when it’s plugged into a wall charger.
- Don’t stand under a tree. Trees attract lightening as it makes its way to the ground. And yet, since people conduct electricity better than trees, lightning can jump from tree to person.
- Keep away from windows. Windows contain metal parts that attract lightning.
- Unplug all computers. During a thunderstorm, anything that’s plugged in is at risk of damage from an electrical surge. To reduce that risk, unplug computers and other electronic gear you value. And remember – even a surge protector may not stand up to the force of a lightning strike.
- Don’t use small appliances. This is not the time to curl your hair, blend a smoothie, or whip up cake batter. Lightning can reach any such appliance and harm you in the process.
- Avoid doing laundry. Not only are your washer and dryer metal, they are plugged into the wall, and once again capable of channeling lightning from the outlet to hands against metal.
Here at Optimum Air, your comfort and safety motivate us to do our best every day. Contact us today or any time if we can be of service.
