By Nancy Beverly
Wednesday, October 14, started off like any of the other hundreds of Wednesdays we’ve hiked Griffith Park in the evening – nothing unusual whatsoever. And then when we were coming down from Mt. Hollywood, around 8:30 p.m., we began to notice flashes in the sky. At first I thought they were plane lights but the flashes continued and we realized we were seeing lightning. We hustled down the fire road to make sure we were no longer on the highest ridge around. I shared with our group that, ironically, I’d sent out just last summer a pdf of a magazine article about lightning safety to our GLS leaders. In “light” of our experience on 10/14 (and the fact that I couldn’t remember all of the article’s great tips), I thought it would be good to share with everyone via TRACKS the salient points:
- Lightning can strike within 10 miles of a storm (and 30 minutes before or after the rain moves through); sound travels roughly one mile every five seconds
- The only completely safe place is inside a fully-grounded building (not porches or gazebos)
- Lightning can travel through plumbing, wiring or concrete, so stay clear of metal windows and doors, as well as water, and do not lie down on a cement floor
- A hard-top enclosed vehicle is a good second choice; the lightning will travel through the metal frame and down to the ground (it’s not the rubber tires protecting you)
If you’re out on the trail, which we often are, here are tips for that situation:
- In hot weather in high mountains, be off the peaks before maximum cloud activity in early- to mid-afternoon. That’s when rising hot air has been heated enough to form clouds with enough activity in them to cause lightning. On hot days, you often see thunderheads growing over the San Gabriel peaks in the afternoon
- Do not be the highest thing around; get off ridges and get into a deep, dry ravine or canyon
- Do not think a cave will shelter you – lightning can hit the rocky face and jump the entrance to someone standing inside
- Do not stand under a lone tree or utility pole; open fields and water are also extremely dangerous; instead, take shelter under trees of uniform height
- If you’re with a group looking for cover, spread out at least 15 feet apart in case one person is struck (then the current would be less likely to strike others)
- If you have a backpack, sit on it, without your feet touching the ground; the next best thing is to crouch with your feet together (get rid of your hiking poles); do NOT lie down
- If someone is struck, call 911 if you can; assess the situation (do not put yourself in further harm) and move the person to a safer location – you can touch them, they don’t carry an electrical charge; check for breathing and a pulse and administer CPR if necessary
- Lightning CAN strike the same place twice
