Stay Lightning Safe

Boating is fun, especially when it is safely enjoyed and potential hazards are minimized. Among the various boating hazards that seem to get little mention is lightning. Spring and early summer encompass much of Ohio's storm season and that often means the onset of lightning –- sometimes with little or no warning.

Lightning poses a serious risk to boaters and others in the great outdoors. A popular safety rule while outdoors is: “If you can see it, flee it; if you can hear it, clear it.” This means at the first sign of lightning, boaters and anglers should get off the water or head to a safe harbor of refuge.

Lightning can travel a long distance from its source and can be somewhat masked by blue skies, which never guarantee that danger from a potential lightning strike is absent. Thunder is directly associated with lightning and gives credence to this bit of advice: “When thunder roars, go indoors.”

While it is tempting to cast a fishing line just one more time, take another turn towing a tuber or skier, getting off the water when lightning is present is the safest bet.

Ellen Bryan, a 22-year-old Celina resident and the newly crowned Miss Ohio 2011, will make lightning safety her platform as she readies to represent Ohio in the next Miss America pageant in January. Bryan, who was crowned Miss Ohio on June 18, has an older sister who, 11 years ago, was seriously injured when struck by lightning. She told the Mansfield News Journal that she looks forward to doing something in honor of her sister, who remains in a wheelchair and is speechless, and to educate others about lightning safety.

Lightning Safety Week is observed June 19-25. For more information on lightning safety, visit noaa.gov.