Thunder/Lightning Storms

• Tune in to your EAS radio station and follow instructions.
• Go indoors immediately.
• Close and lock windows and doors against wind and lightning.
• Stay away from windows and doors.
• Avoid showering, bathing or washing dishes, as water is an excellent conductor of electricity.
• Do not touch anything metal.
• Unplug appliances including televisions and computers that could be damaged by lightning.
• Turn off air conditioners.
• Do not use electrical equipment because lightning could follow the wire.
• Use only cordless or cell phones.
• Continue to listen to your EAS radio station.

If you are in a vehicle:

• Pull off the road away from trees and power lines.
• Stay in your car until the storm subsides.
• Avoid flooded roadways.

If you are outside:

• Go to a building or vehicle.
• If you can’t get to a building, avoid tall trees, open land and open water. Take shelter under a thick growth of small trees and squat as low to the ground as possible, but do not lie flat on the ground.
• Stay away from anything that could be a lightning rod: golf clubs, fishing rods, tractors, bicycles.
• Stay away from rivers, ponds and lakes.

More Information

For more in-depth information, please visit the Disaster Services section of the American Red Cross website, www.redcross.org, or the Hazards section of the FEMA website.