Weathering the Weather In Your Shelters

It does not matter if it is a tent or a camper, when bad weather strikes it can be scary. I hate it when the sky is lit up with
lighting bolts that strike trees and stumps, near my shelter. I can stand the thunder, as when a child we were told that was angels
bowling in heaven, but those yellow-white bolts of electrical energy frighten me even now.

Often times storms catch us away from our camp site, where there is no tent or camper, building or car, to provide a safe retreat. And we all know or should know that hiding under trees is not a good idea. Lighting bolts though random do strike trees at a alarming rate.

So I will broaden the question with where to you hide during storms and are you even a bit scared of those loud zigzagging bolts of lightening that light up the sky?

 

The noise and bright flashes of light can be intimidating but you have to remember that the chance of being struck by lightning is incredible low. In fact there are numerous other ways you are much more likely to die from that you probably don't think twice about. With that being said, hiding under a tree is not a smart idea since the lightning bolt forms along the path of least resistance which is often the closest thing to the sky like a tall tree.

 

A friend of mine was out in the pasture with her husband when a storm came up quickly. He was admiring the lighting in the sky and she kept saying we better go home. Well one minute she was standing and the next thing she knew she was flat on her back, having been struck by lighting. Her husband had not even noticed she had been hit. He turned around and found her laying on the ground and said "What are you doing, being lazy just laying there, get off the ground we have work to do." Well needless to say she told him in no uncertain terms that this was not laziness, but where you end up when struck by lighting, plus a few other choice words. she said he did not believe her and that is when things got a bit nasty.

I have seen trees get hit by lighting and be split down one side or catch on fire. Many times golfers get hit as their clubs seem to attract lighting bolts. Personally, I think staying away from trees and sitting in your car would work better than standing out in the open.

 

Woah, that's intense. How did you manage to get burns while you were hit inside your house?

 

I have heard of people getting hit by lighting while talking on the telephone, as well as, electrical items like computers and TV's getting knocked out and ruined, so it would seem that the wiring helped you get burned. Even people washing dishes or bathing can get hit by lighting, so I guess it is best to do nothing during a lighting storm. lol

 

Well that is just another reason to use surge protectors for your valuable devices. They have a built in fuse which blows when the current goes over a certain threshold. I have one for all my expensive or delicate electronic items.