Lightning death: why do Russians die during thunderstorms | Articles

In Russia, the first death of a person from a lightning strike occurred this year. The victim was a 61-year-old employee of the administration of the city of Gus-Khrustalny. A woman was found dead with burns during a community work day in the park. Rescuers, doctors and physicists told Izvestia how to behave during a thunderstorm so as not to suffer from lightning.

Victims of lightning

In Russia, the first death of a person from a lightning strike occurred this year. The victim was a 61-year-old resident of the Vladimir region Olga Novskaya.

As reported, the tragedy occurred in one of the parks in the city of Gus-Khrustalny. On April 23, employees of the local administration held a subbotnik there. At this time, a thunderstorm began, and lightning hit the chief specialist of the capital construction department. The woman died at the scene from her burns.

Such incidents occur with sad regularity. Last summer, a seven-year-old boy died on the shores of the Gulf of Finland. The child, along with his parents, was in a country house in the Petrodvortsovy district of St. Petersburg.

Photo: Izvestiya/Konstantin Kokoshkin

In the summer of 2019, a 58-year-old woman died in the Chelyabinsk Region while swimming in the river during a thunderstorm. Lightning struck her gold chain. When the woman was dragged ashore, she was dead. The cause of the incident was called a natural electrical injury.

Experts told Izvestia how to behave during a thunderstorm if you stayed indoors or found yourself in nature.

Season of thunderstorms

In Central Russia, the season of thunderstorms begins in May and ends in September, and in the southern regions they are observed almost all year round, Izvestia was told in the Russian Emergencies Ministry. The main danger during a thunderstorm is a lightning strike. In addition to the usual linear, sometimes a spherical one appears – a luminous ball floating in the air and exploding upon collision with any solid object.

To reduce the risk of lightning damage to buildings, special lightning protection is installed on them in the form of grounded metal masts and wires stretched high above the facilities of the facility. Because outdoors, the risk of suffering is much higher.

— Be sure to check the weather forecast before going to nature. If a thunderstorm is predicted, then postpone the rest for another day, the Ministry of Emergency Situations advises.

Photo: Izvestia/Konstantin Kokoshkin

If you have already found yourself in nature and noticed a thunderstorm front, then first of all you need to determine the approximate distance to it by the delay time of the first thunder and lightning flash, and also evaluate whether the front is approaching or moving away .

– Since the speed of light is huge (300 thousand km / s), we observe a flash of lightning instantly. Therefore, the sound delay will be determined by the distance and its speed. If the sound delay increases, then the storm front moves away, and if it decreases, then it approaches. Lightning is dangerous when a flash of thunder follows. In this case, precautionary measures must be taken.

Safety measures

The safest thing during a thunderstorm is to stay at home or in any room, says Stanislav Vinogradov, deputy head of the MIPT General Physics Department, in an interview with Izvestia. You can use household appliances and a computer, but you should take into account the risks for equipment: it can fail.

If you find yourself in a rural area, the Ministry of Emergency Situations advises to close windows, doors and ventilation openings in the house and not to light the stove. In addition, you should not talk on the phone: lightning can get into the wires stretched between the poles.

– During lightning strikes, do not come close to electrical wiring, lightning rods, roof drains, antennas, do not stand near the window, turn off the TV, radio and other electrical appliances if possible, the Ministry of Emergency Situations says.

Photo: TASS/Artem Geodakyan

If a thunderstorm caught you in the field, do not lie down on the ground, exposing your whole body to the current. Go down into a ravine or other low ground and squat down with your arms around your legs. Never try to hide under a tree.

“Lightning selects the highest objects, so if you are in an open area, you can be one of them,” explains Maria Menshikova, senior medical consultant at Teledoctor24. — The distance from high lone objects must be at least 200 m. But from trees, especially pines, oaks and poplars, it is better to stay away – at a distance of at least 4-5 m. It is even more dangerous to be near water and even more so to swim in water bodies – there is a big risk that lightning will fall into them.

— If you get caught in a thunderstorm while hiking, you need to put out the fire, take the metal utensils outside the camp and change into dry clothes. Wet clothes are also capable of attracting lightning, just like the surface of a reservoir , – notes the interlocutor of Izvestia.

Photo: Izvestia/Pavel Bednyakov

In addition to water and wet clothes, lightning can be attracted by a working mobile phone, an umbrella (especially knitting needles and a rod) and any metal items (keys, tools).

Fireballs

If a thunderstorm caught you in a car, do not leave it. You will be safe there, because even with a lightning strike, the discharge will pass through the surface of the metal, says Stanislav Vinogradov. But it is dangerous to ride a bicycle or motorcycle at this time.

In rare cases, during a thunderstorm, you can encounter ball lightning, which can enter the room through open vents, windows and doors. For this reason, it is better to exclude any drafts in the apartment.

– If ball lightning is moving in your direction, do not throw objects at it in an attempt to change direction. In a collision with any object, lightning will simply explode, which can lead to disastrous consequences. It is best to slowly and smoothly move away from its trajectory. When the ball approaches, be sure to freeze. Moving in the direction of the air, it will simply fly off to the side,” says Maria Menshikova.

True, adds the Deputy Head of the Department of General Physics at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, such a phenomenon is rare. There are very few people who have seen ball lightning, let alone become its victims.

Photo: TASS/Valery Matytsin

According to Stanislav Vinogradov, most often lightning does not strike people, but buildings, trees, tall structures. But a nearby person can also suffer: the surface of the earth will serve as a conductor for electricity, and then it will reach the legs and pierce the entire body.

Assistance to victims

The striking factors of lightning are both an electric discharge and its high temperature (up to 9500 degrees Celsius), a flash of light, and a powerful sound wave. Still not all cases of lightning strikes a person end in death, says doctor Maria Menshikova.

– In the mildest case, the victim will show symptoms such as incoordination, blackouts, hearing loss and severe headaches. With a more serious lesion, there is a loss of consciousness followed by amnesia, interruptions in the work of the heart, a violation of the sensitivity of the limbs up to paralysis and convulsions. Also, when struck by lightning and falling, injuries often occur: fractures, bleeding and concussions, the doctor notes.

Lightning can start a fire, resulting in extensive and deep burns. Special marks (Lichtenberg figures) often remain on the skin of the victim – red or pink branching lines that disappear when pressed.

“Unlike a household electrical injury, a person is not under voltage after a lightning strike, so there is no need to look for means of protection from electricity and try to “de-energize” the victim,” the doctor says. – If you provide a person with qualified assistance in a timely manner, the chance to save him increases significantly. Therefore, you must immediately call an ambulance.

Photo: RIA Novosti/Aleksey Sukhorukov

Before the arrival of medical personnel, the victim must be moved to a shelter, put in a comfortable position and covered with a blanket. In case of burns, you do not need to take off your clothes yourself. If the person is unconscious, check for breathing and feel for a pulse on the carotid artery. In their absence, it is necessary to carry out resuscitation measures: pressure with the hands on the sternum of the victim, artificial respiration “mouth to mouth” and “mouth to nose” and indirect heart massage.

– If the patient’s pulse and respiration are normal, but the patient is unconscious, apply an ammonia pad or other irritant to the nose. Do not leave the victim alone. Remember that in any case, the victim of a lightning strike must be hospitalized in order to prevent a disorder in the electrical activity of the heart, the Izvestia interlocutor emphasizes.

According to her, a very small number of people who were struck by lightning get off with fright and minor injuries. Most often, damage to the body is very extensive and has long-term consequences. Survivors have disturbed sleep, symptoms of depression, memory loss and increasing mental degradation. Hearing and vision may be significantly reduced.

New York City publishes nuclear strike guidance

https://ria.ru/20220712/nyu-york-1801840263.html

New York City issues nuclear strike guidance -York published a guide in the event of a nuclear strike – RIA Novosti, 12.07.2022

New York authorities published a guide in the event of a nuclear strike and… RIA Novosti, 07/12/2022

2022-07-12T01:00

2022-07-12T01:00

2022-07-12T11:12

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UN, July 12 – RIA Novosti. The New York City Department of Emergency Management has published a video advising New Yorkers to take shelter in the event of a nuclear attack on the city and close windows and doors – the authors of the video ask not to ask why and how this can happen. New York has issued a new announcement focusing on preparedness for a nuclear incident. While the likelihood of a nuclear weapons incident in or around New York City is very low, it is important that New Yorkers know how to stay safe,” the department’s website says. The video simulates a situation in which “the Big Apple was struck “. “Don’t ask me why or how,” says the woman in the black suit. She asks New Yorkers to remember three important steps. “Quickly take cover indoors,” the video says. In this case, you need to move away from the windows. “Staying in the car is not an option,” the woman notes. “Stay inside, close all doors and windows, if there is a basement, take cover there.” “If you were outside after the explosion, you need to clean up immediately,” she says about the second step . All clothing should be removed and wrapped in plastic, she said, to “keep the radioactive dust away from… the body.” , says the woman.

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United Nations, July 12 – RIA Novosti. The New York City Department of Emergency Management released a video in which New Yorkers are advised to take shelter in the house and close windows and doors in the event of a nuclear attack on the city – the authors of the video ask not to ask why and how this can happen.

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“The New York City Department of Emergency Management today issued a new announcement focusing on preparedness for a nuclear incident. While the likelihood of a nuclear weapons incident in or around New York City is very low, it is important that New Yorkers Yorkers knew how to stay safe,” the department’s website says.

The video simulates a situation in which “the Big Apple was hit.