WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (June 20, 2014) — Farm Bureau Financial Services urges everyone to learn more about thunderstorm safety during National Lightning Awareness Week, June 22-28. FBFS is providing safety tips and reminding everyone the only safe place to be during a lightning event is indoors.
Although thunderstorms happen throughout the year, they tend to happen most often in the spring and summer. As you move your activities outdoors, keep in mind lightning can extend between 6-10 miles from the base of a thunderstorm. A few precautions can significantly reduce your risk of being struck by lightning.
Be Prepared.
- Check the weather.
- Know where to take shelter and give yourself enough time to get there safely.
- Have a severe weather plan and communicate it.
Get Indoors.
- Find appropriate shelter. Porches, dugouts, rain shelters and sheds are not safe from lightning strikes.
- A metal vehicle with a hard top provides safe protection. Keep the windows and doors closed.
- Do not touch or unplug electrical items during a storm. This includes corded phones.