How does it feel when you get struck by lightning
Popular science publication Mosaic — voltage 200 million volts.
If the person hit by lightning, his chance of survival was 9 out of 10, but then his health does not always return to the previous state. It is considered that lightning is something very rare, comparable to a shark attack. If you live to be 80 years old, the chance to meet the lightning with voltage of up to 200 million volts 1 to 13 thousand. Popular science publication Mosaic talks about what happened to those people, whom the lightning still hit and what to do all the rest, that never happened.
What happens
“My whole body just froze — I couldn’t move. The pain was… Hard to explain. If you have a child you put your finger in the socket, multiply that feeling a gazillion times and you can feel it in my whole body. I saw a white light around themselves, as if I was in a bubble. And it lasted forever,” says Justin popular gouger, who was struck by lightning when he was returning from fishing.
In fact, lightning rarely strikes directly at the person — this happens in three to five percent of cases. Usually through a person is only part of it, and all the rest, as it “wraps around” the body. Or lightning strikes nearby, and the man gets a bit of a hit. This happens very quickly, much faster than when in contact with a high voltage line, so when lightning strikes, people often survive.
Perhaps many people think that lightning hits the top and passes through the body into the ground. In fact, the entry points are different. Often it’s ears, lips or eyes, and victims can lose the hearing, someone then develops a cataract. If lightning penetrates the brain, it can disrupt the respiratory center. If lightning is in the heart, it disrupts his work, and then often can not do without cardiopulmonary resuscitation. It still burns, especially if the skin was wet.
From clothes can remain only the pieces, the phone may simply melt. After the lightning strike, many people lose consciousness, often there is a leg or arm is temporarily paralyzed. Surrounding see smoke rising from the man.
If the person survived, then he might face with the most unexpected consequences. Chronic pain, memory impairment, personality changes, mood and more.
Some victims say that now, when they enter the room, the computer freezes and the batteries run down faster in technology, but experts refer to this statement with skepticism.
In General, the consequences of lightning strikes are poorly understood. There are not many doctors who spetsializiruyutsya on this, research a little. Some of the most famous was conducted in sheep. The experts in lightning is your Symposium, the people who were struck by lightning, by the way, also have their own forums, because many people want to communicate with those who understand what they have experienced and what they have now to face.
How to behave during a thunderstorm
There are many popular tips on how to avoid a lightning strike, but the American meteorologist Ron Hall asks not to be deceived: none of them guarantees one hundred percent protection. Ideally you want as fast as possible to get into the room. But — not all facilities are fully protected, particularly in rural areas.
When you are outdoors, it is better to do something to avoid becoming a target for lightning. It is aimed mainly for standing protruding objects: trees, poles, buildings, people. Therefore:
- better to go down hill — the deeper the better. The ravine was perfect;
- stay away from tall trees and water;
- if you are in the company, spread out (between people should be about 6 meters);
- don’t lie on the ground — better to sit on your heels and place your feet next.
Before actively spread the 30/30 rule: people should count how many seconds passed after the flash of lightning. If the thunder before he managed to count to 30, then lightning is close enough and is a threat. But now we try to depart from this rule for many reasons, says Hall. One is practical: it is not always possible to determine exactly what zipper refers to the thunder.