Struck by lightning

    580
    0
    SHARE

    During the talk show, “Debate: Mare at Pare” in 2000, then President Joseph Estrada called and told one of the panelists: “Iyan ang buong katotohanan. Huwag kang magsinungaling. Baka ka tamaan ng kidlat (That is the truth. Do not lie. Lightning might strike you.).”

    The chances of getting hit by lightning are one in 600,000, but in recent years, people have died and more have been hurt in separate lightning strike incidents in different parts of the country.

    Last May of this year, a soldier died while another suffered burns when a lightning struck a military outpost in a remote village of Zamboanga Sibugay province. According to the police report, the victims were on duty in the village of Libertad, Tungawan town when lightning suddenly struck the outpost in the early morning.

    In 2008, a farmer was killed while his son was injured after lightning struck them during a heavy rain.

    Investigation showed that the two were doing chores outside the house when it suddenly rained.

    They sat in the shade and waited for the rain to stop. But a lightning bolt struck from behind and hit a ground wire which was partly buried. The strong electric current hit both victims.

    Last year, six men were given their second lives after they survived a lightning. According to one of the survivors said that they decided to harvest shells on the nearby shore in barangay Coronon in Sta. Cruz after the tide ebbed around 8:30 p.m.

    But there was a sudden downpour of rain followed by strong winds so they decided to seek shelter under the coconut trees. A lightning struck a tree beside where they stood and some of the victims were electrocuted.

    Some of the victims fainted and sustained wounds all over the body.

    All the victims were thrown in different directions due to the explosion. “We were thrown three meters away,” a survivor was quoted as saying. “The explosion was so strong that it felt like it was a bomb.”

    Lightning also took the life of Norbing Murines in 2007. He was the sixth person in the province of Iloilo to have died as a result of being struck by a lightning.

    According to a report released by Philippine News Agency, Murines was reportedly doing carpentry job at the roof of a store but sudden rains prevailed, forcing him to stop his work and take shelter under a nearby tree.

    In a wink of an eye, an ear-splitting thunderstorm simultaneous with the blinding spark of lightning hit the tree that also pinned Murines.

    “He sustained severe burns all over his body and was rushed to the nearby hospital where the attending physicians declared him dead on arrival,” the PNA report said.

    Now that the rainy season is upon us and especially since more typhoons are coming our way, lightning strikes become more threatening than ever.

    Lightning is a massive electrostatic discharge between electrically charged regions within clouds, or between a cloud and the Earth’s surface. The charged regions within the atmosphere temporarily equalize themselves through a lightning flash, commonly referred to as a strike if it hits an object on the ground.

    Experts say the electricity a lightning generates can power a 100-watt bulb for three months. Lightning can heat up the air around it to up to 30,000 degrees Celsius.

    Lightning occurs approximately 40–50 times a second worldwide, resulting in nearly 1.4 billion flashes per year, according to John E. Oliver in an article which appeared in “Encyclopedia of World Climatology.”

    During a seminar workshop held in Davao City last week, Niño A. Relos, senior weather specialist of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), said that lightning are classified into three types: forked lightning, sheeting lightning, and ball lightning.

    Forked lightning is a common form of lightning, in a cloud-to-ground discharge, which exhibits downward-directed branches from the main lightning channel. Sheeting lightning appears merely as a general illumination over a broad area, usually because the path of the flash is obscured by clouds.

    Ball lightning is a rare form of lightning, consisting of a bright, luminous ball that moves rapidly along objects or floats in the air. A classic example is Saint Elmo’s fire, which Filipinos called as “santelmo.”

    Identifying lightning-generating clouds is one of the helpful ways to avoid being struck by a lightning.

    The weather bureau in a report on GMA News’ Balitanghali told the audience to look out for cumulonimbus clouds, which are thick and are shaped like a cauliflower.

    These clouds produce strong winds, rains, thunder, and lightning. “Hindi tayo safe sa buong taon eh, dahil nasa tropics tayo. Tsaka napapaligiran tayo ng tubig so ‘yung weather natin napakabilis na magpalit.

    Nakakapag-produce sila agad ng cumulonimbus clouds in three hours,” Jori Loiz, PAGASA weather forecaster, was quoted as saying.

    As lightning is common during the rainy season, Relos shared these lightning safety precautions:

    • Go inside a home or large building, if you can.

    • Avoid using electric appliances such as telephones, computers or television sets.

    • If stuck outside, do not take shelter under a tall, isolated tree.

    • Stay away from bodies of water

    • If you trapped in an open field and you feel your hair stand on end, lighting is about to strike. Do not lie flat on the ground.

    LEAVE A REPLY

    Please enter your comment!
    Please enter your name here