How to Stay Safe in Your Toledo Home During Lightning Storms

Lightning is unavoidable, even if you take all the necessary precautions to lightning-proof your home and property. For this reason, it’s important for Toledo homeowners to be aware of the most conductive areas for lightning, and how to avoid them during storms. Look at the following tips to ensure your safety and security in the event of a lightning storm.

Stay Inside Until the Storm Passes

Since most lightning related fatalities occur when individuals are outdoors, data indicates that we are at a decreased risk of a physical lightning strike if we stay inside throughout the entire storm.

Close All Your Windows and Doors

While electrical currents sparked by a lightning strike generally make their way into a building or home through cables, pipes, or wiring attached to the property’s exterior, lightning can also enter through an open door or window. So be sure to shut all your home’s windows, doors, and garage door in the event of a storm. At the same time, refrain from watching a storm from a window, sitting on your porch, or from your garage, as this will put you at a higher risk of injury.

Don’t Use Any Corded Electronic Devices

Using corded electronic appliances in a storm is the top cause of interior lightning injuries in the United States. Avoid using any electrical devices such as laptops, computers, gaming systems, televisions, corded phones, or anything else you plug into an outlet when there is lightning outside.

Stay Away From Plumbing Fixtures

In addition to staying away from electronic devices, you should also maintain a safe distance from your home’s plumbing fixtures during a lightning storm, as they can also act as conductors and result in electrocution. Wait to wash your dishes, bathe, brush your teeth, use the sink, do laundry, and shower until after the storm has passed.

Don’t Stand Too Close to Concrete Structures

Individuals have also been injured when leaning on and standing next to concrete buildings. This is a result of metal rebar within the structure, which serves as a conductor when lightning strikes a building.

The optimal source of protection from lightning is being inside a building, whereas small structures such as tents and sheds cannot keep you safe from a strike. If you cannot find a building in your Ohio vicinity, taking shelter in a car or truck is the next best option to ensure your safety in a storm.