I was driving towards the anatomy building as an undergrad when I was flagged down by a friend that a colleague of ours had been struck dead by lightning. He was walking towards the university gate on a road
flagged by tall trees on both sides. It had just stopped raining when he commenced his trip on that fateful day but it was still drizzling a little bit.
We quickly mobilized ourselves, about thirty of us surrounded the charred body of our colleague. We cried, we prayed, we hoped that by some miracle he would ‘wake up’ but he never did. It’s been twenty years since that day but the memory of that day is one that will stay with me forever.
Last week alone, more than ninety people were killed by lightening in India alone. Bangladesh recorded more than fifty lightning-related deaths in May alone. Lightning strikes have also made headlines across Europe this year with casualties.
Sadly, there is little or no record of lightning related deaths or injuries in most countries in South East Asia and Africa. Studies have also shown that very little are being done by governments in these parts of the world to prevent deaths from lightning bolts.
What is lightning?
It is electricity discharged from the cloud. Lightning usually strikes the tallest object and can discharge that electricity to you secondarily.
How to prevent being Hit by Lightning
First things first, if you live in the part of the world where you have access to weather service, always check before you go out. There are simple apps that you can download on your phone to help you access this service. For those living in less privileged parts of the world, avoid getting out in the rain.
Stay in the car. When lightning strikes the car, electricity is discharged around the car but does not get inside the car. Make sure to keep your hands to yourself as much as you can. Avoid touching the wheel or windows if you can.
Never use an umbrella when lightning strikes. It makes you a higher and easier target moreover, the metal components of the umbrella would conduct electricity to you.
Avoid walking or staying under tall trees. The electricity discharged might secondarily hit you.
If you find yourself in a position where you cannot avoid being in an outside open space, stoop down and bend yourself over with your knees
touching each other. With this position, hopefully, if you are struck, you could prevent the electrical discharge from getting to your heart.
Get into a house if you can.
Stay away from the windows. It is possible for lightning to strike you if you are close to a house window if it strikes the window twice and the first strike had broken the glass.
Stay away from pools of water or wet ground.
Way forward
More needs to be done by the international community to demand accountability from countries in Africa and South East Asia where deaths from lightning are routinely discarded as ‘punishment for sin’ or ‘attacks from spiritual enemies’.
Public education is needed and systems must be put in place to ensure that buildings have lightning rods on them to conduct away electricity from lightning.
The spiritual enemies might just be the leaders you have elected who have failed you.
