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A recent spate of reported lightning strikes in
Singapore has left several people, both adults and
children, either dead or very seriously injured.
This streak of lightning strikes has rekindled
the community's concern over the subject - a
matter that statistics show is well-founded. For,
in Singapore, lightning strikes an average of 270
days out of the 365 days in a year.
What exactly is lightning? How does it behave,
and what are the consequences of being struck?
Firstly, lightning is a very powerful
electrical current passing from highly charged
storm clouds to the earth. It tends to hit the
tallest object in the area. Of the people struck
by lightning, about two thirds are killed
immediately, while half of those who do survive
suffer severe injuries and require extensive
medical treatment.
Lightning damages the body in two distinct
ways: firstly, its very powerful electrical energy
causes severe internal burns as it passes through
the body from the 'entry' to the 'exit' point.
Often, vital organs such as the heart are very
badly damaged. Secondly, the electrical energy may
temporarily stop the heart from beating, or it
could affect that part of the brain, which
stimulates breathing.
Therefore, even in the event that there are no
internal burns, the victim may still die if
resuscitation is not made available. In such
cases, it is vital that proper cardiopulmonary
resuscitation (CPR) be applied immediately. If the
patient is not breathing, artificial breathing -
possibly mouth-to-mouth resuscitation must be
performed. If the victim's heart has stopped,
external cardiac compression also becomes
necessary. There have been many instances where
lives have been saved with these simple measures.
Prevention
Prevention is, of course,
better than cure. The best thing is to avoid being
struck by lightning in the first place. Here are
some tips that you might like to keep in mind:
- If a thunderstorm is brewing, it is best to
go inside a building, or stay inside your car.
- Keep away from metal objects such as fences,
bicycles and railings.
- Do not stand under a single tree as, being
the tallest object in the vicinity, it may
attract the lightning, which may also hit you,
as it passes down the tree.
- Do not hold objects, which may attract
lightning: umbrellas, golf clubs,
etc.
Finally, if you find yourself in a situation
where you believe that you may be struck, the
safest thing to do is to lie down in a dry ditch
and curl up into a ball - you may feel a bit
silly, but your life could very well be saved.
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