Safely through the storm
11 tips that can save your life
© Visual Collective / Shutterstock
Should I stand under a tree? Or put it on the floor? 11 tips for when a thunderstorm catches you by surprise.
1) What to do if a thunderstorm suddenly comes up?
Something’s brewing back there!? If you are caught in a thunderstorm while hiking or cycling, it is ideal to seek shelter in a brick building or haystack. If you can’t find a building, be sure to keep your distance from poles, bodies of water, and trees.
2) Don’t let the lightning attack!
If you can’t find shelter, it means: squat down, put your feet as close together as possible, duck your head. Don’t lay it flat on the ground – this will only increase your area of attack for lightning.
3) “You should look for beeches, you should give way to oaks” – really now?
No. Like anything tall, trees are lightning magnets. Therefore, it is always dangerous in the forest, no matter what trees grow there. Trees with thin trunks are the lesser evil, because the thick ones are usually taller.
4) I am traveling in a group
Even if you would like to snuggle up next to each other: if you are in a group, you should keep a distance of at least three meters from each other.
5) Umbrella open or closed?
If you are in an exposed position, close your umbrella – lightning always strikes at the highest point.
6) I am traveling by bike
If you are surprised by a thunderstorm on a bike tour, it is best to lay your bike on the ground and move at least three meters away from it. So nothing happens to you if your bike is struck by lightning.
7) Do I have to get out of the water?
Yes immediately! The lightning current spreads on the water.
8) Should I get in the car?
It’s safe in the car. But only if you don’t touch any metal parts. Because the lightning is diverted to earth via the metal body (“Faraday cage”). Important: Close the windows and sunroof!
9) Can I call my best friend to calm me down?
D rather not. It is best to turn off your cell phone and never make calls outside. The device could conduct the lightning current directly into the body.
10) How do I behave at home?
Disconnects all devices from the socket before the thunderstorm, even from power strips that can be switched off. Even if lightning does not strike the house, the TV, computer, etc. can be damaged by overvoltage.
11) My child is afraid of thunderstorms – what to do?
we have dr Carola Bindt, specialist in child and adolescent psychiatry and psychotherapy at the “Altona Children’s Hospital” in Hamburg, asked what to do then:
“It is most effective when the person with the child remains calm and not afraid. Distract the child, help him relax, for example by reading him a story or a play game with him.
Do not try to scientifically explain the phenomenon to the child. In the fearful situation, it will not be receptive. For a child under the age of four, the following applies anyway: they cannot yet understand a complex connection such as the formation of a thunderstorm.
The natural phenomenon can be explained to older children – but in a relaxed situation. When they listen to the rumble of thunder in fear, such attempts at explanations don’t go down well. Incidentally, this also applies to adults; neither can we learn vocabulary if we are afraid.”