Jen Wonn-Oettl knows what to do when she hears thunder.
"When it thunderstorms, we come in," the Pottsville mother of two said Monday afternoon as she sat on her porch with her children.
This week is Lightning Safety Awareness Week. According to the National Weather Service, seven people have died in United States this year because of lighting. Last year, 28 people died nationwide as a result of lighting strikes.
No one from Schuylkill County has died since record keeping started in 2006, according to NWS.
Wonn-Oettl said she does not like to take chances with Mother Nature.
"The biggest precaution is no shower, no baths when it's lightning because water conducts electricity," she said
Peter Jung, a NWS meteorologist in State College, said precautions should be taken when lighting and thunder occur.
"Lightning can strike many, many miles away from the thunderstorm," he said. "If you're close enough to hear the thunder, you're close enough to be hit by lightning."
Jung said thunderstorms are possible this week. According to the NWS website, temperatures will be in the 80s this week with showers and thunderstorms anticipated.
Lightning damage to structures and property is also a cause for concern.
Insurance company State Farm notes that Pennsylvania ranked eighth nationally in 2012 for claims resulting from lightning to the tune of more than $5.2 million, or 1,381 claims. Georgia topped the list with 3,844 claims amounting to $21.5 million, Dave Phillips, a spokesman for State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co., said.
A flash of lightning can pack a jolt as much as 300 million volts, or about 30,000 amps, the NWS said.
If you are outside when lighting or a thunderstorm strikes, you should seek shelter, Jung said.
However, if your circumstances prevent you from doing so, move from high elevation areas such as hills and mountains. Do not lie down on the ground, as the lightning current can travel through the ground to you; avoid seeking shelter under a tree or other natural structure and stay away from bodies of water and any items that can conduct electricity, the NWS said.
Inside a structure, people should refrain from using electrical appliances and water and stay away from windows, doors, porches and concrete, the NWS said.
Bob Oettl Sr., Jen's father-in-law, said he takes caution as severe weather approaches.
A member of the Mountain Valley Senior League at Mountain Valley Golf Course, Barnesville, he said he's never been caught outside on the course when lightning occurs. Golfers hear an alarm signaling bad weather, he said.
A lightning strike caused a fire in a vacant building last month in Mahanoy City. A firefighter was injured at the scene at 22-24 E. Centre St. A property at 26-28 E. Centre St. sustained smoke damage, according to Republican-Herald archives.
Lightning Safety Myths and Facts
Myth: Lightning never strikes the same place twice.
Fact: Lightning often strikes the same place repeatedly, especially if it's a tall, pointy, isolated object. The Empire State Building is hit nearly 100 times a year.
Myth: If it's not raining or there aren't clouds overhead, you're safe from lightning.
Fact: Lightning often strikes more than three miles from the center of the thunderstorm, far outside the rain or thunderstorm cloud. "Bolts from the blue" can strike 10-15 miles from the thunderstorm.
Myth: Rubber tires on a car protect you from lightning by insulating you from the ground.
Fact: Most cars are safe from lightning, but it is the metal roof and metal sides that protect you, NOT the rubber tires. Remember, convertibles, motorcycles, bicycles, open-shelled outdoor recreational vehicles and cars with fiberglass shells offer no protection from lightning. When lightning strikes a vehicle, it goes through the metal frame into the ground. Don't lean on doors during a thunderstorm.
Myth: A lightning victim is electrified. If you touch them, you'll be electrocuted.
Fact: The human body does not store electricity. It is perfectly safe to touch a lightning victim to give them first aid. This is the most chilling of lightning myths.
Myth: If outside in a thunderstorm, you should seek shelter under a tree to stay dry.
Fact: Being underneath a tree is the second-leading cause of lightning casualties.
Myth: If you are in a house, you are 100 percent safe from lightning.
Fact: A house is a safe place to be during a thunderstorm as long as you avoid anything that conducts electricity. This means staying off corded phones, electrical appliances, wires, TV cables, computers, plumbing, metal doors and windows. Windows are hazardous for two reasons: wind generated during a thunderstorm can blow objects into the window, breaking it and causing glass to shatter. Second, in older homes, in rare instances, lightning can come in cracks in the sides of windows.
Myth: If thunderstorms threaten while you are outside playing a game, it is okay to finish it before seeking shelter.
Fact: Many lightning casualties occur because people do not seek shelter soon enough. No game is worth death or life-long injuries. Seek proper shelter immediately if you hear thunder. Adults are responsible for the safety of children.
Myth: Structures with metal, or metal on the body (jewelry, cell phones, Mp3 players, watches, etc), attract lightning.
Fact: Height, pointy shape and isolation are the dominant factors controlling where a lightning bolt will strike. The presence of metal makes absolutely no difference on where lightning strikes.
Mountains are made of stone but get struck by lightning many times a year. When lightning threatens, take proper protective action immediately by seeking a safe shelter. Don't waste time removing metal. While metal does not attract lightning, it does conduct it so stay away from metal fences, railing, bleachers, etc.
Myth: If trapped outside and lightning is about to strike, I should lie flat on the ground.
Fact: Lying flat increases your chance of being affected by potentially deadly ground current. If you are caught outside in a thunderstorm, you keep moving toward a safe shelter.
Source: National Weather Service