Lightning strike kills

[Awa Shuen]

My wife's family living in Kantharalak, she told me almost every time when there is thunder storm, lightning killed a few person in the field. When the storm is coming they will all switch off the mobile phone (which may attract the lightning?) and hide in their house. This is what just happened this afternoon in Kantharalak. Hope if you are living in the isaan area beware of it.

[tiocfaidh]

Mobile phones do not attract lightning but being the tallest object in a flat paddy field stood in water WILL.

[Sam Lin]

And this is in no way unique to Isaan. People die of lightning strikes in many countries every year. Livestock die of even more strikes, and many ranchers have stories of multiple animals in a herd dying to the same strike.

[Awa Shuen]

2 minutes ago, Sam Lin said:

And this is in no way unique to Isaan. People die of lightning strikes in many countries every year. Livestock die of even more strikes, and many ranchers have stories of multiple animals in a herd dying to the same strike.

Right..... to be more accurate, just to be careful in large open space like farms. But just isaan got more farms so look like always happen in there.

[Crossy]

1 hour ago, tiocfaidh said:

Mobile phones do not attract lightning but being the tallest object in a flat paddy field stood in water WILL.

 

You don't even need to be particularly tall, we lost a family member a few years back. He was fishing from his small boat and despite laying in the bottom of the boat to be as low as possible was killed by a strike. 

[Swiss1960]

MOBILE PHONES ATTRACT LIGHTENING 

 

Every Thai knows that, happens even inside the house. Even my wife believes that and disallows phone use during lightening. 

 

My argument "but in Europe..." is countered by "This is Thailand, here is different". 

 

I will never let my wife know that our phones are permanently connected with the network,  whether we use them or not... otherwise the no-use-policy will be changed to s switch-off-policy..

[Puchaiyank]

Thailand ranks #2 in the world in people being killed by lightning.

 

http://lightningsafety.com/nlsi_pls/lightningstatistics.html

[SantiSuk]

I live 7 clicks away from Huai Thamine, where it happened.

 

First time in 13 years of living here that I have heard of a local fatal lightning strike (wife made a point of drawing it to my attention from her facething this am). There are lightning storms virtually every other day in the lead up to and during rainy season albeit probably 75% of them are in the evening when folks are back at their homes

[IsaanAussie]

Happened to the wife's elder brother about fifteen years ago, not pretty. I have never seen such a destructive wound and result. Simple rule for me, thunderstorms around here in Sisaket, stay under cover. There is always a few cows killed here each year, thankfully most people go and bring the cows in before or wait until after the storm passes. 

[ubonjoe]

29 minutes ago, IsaanAussie said:

Simple rule for me, thunderstorms around here in Sisaket, stay under cover.

That depends on the type of cover and its location. A tin roofed shack in the middle of a open field is not good cover.

The safety training I have had is to get as low as you can if you cannot get in good shelter. That can mean laying down in the dirt and etc if needed. Even a ditch is recommended.

[DJ54]

My family tells me take off my ring and necklace.... I’m never If rarely out at the farm or standing outside during a thunderstorm... 

 

Looked up if wearing ring and necklace if I would be prone to lighting strike...  whether true or not it said if lightning is close 

enough to strike you taking off ring would make no difference..

[PETERTHEEATER]

On 5/11/2020 at 5:33 PM, Puchaiyank said:

Thailand ranks #2 in the world in people being killed by lightning.

 

http://lightningsafety.com/nlsi_pls/lightningstatistics.html

When on the golf course use a wood and not an iron.....????

[DreamRider]

2 hours ago, PETERTHEEATER said:

When on the golf course use a wood and not an iron.....????

Nope; When on a golf course take out your "2 Iron" and hold it above your head.  Not even God can hit a 2 iron!

[millymoopoo]

It's a rarity, but it does happen.

Maybe 1000 people killed on Thai roads for 1 lightning strike.

Mobile phones attracting lightning is just <deleted> (or as Trump would say - fake news),
but the best place to hide would be beside/under a steel mobile phone tower as they are very well earthed, thus conducting the lightning strike safely to ground without harming you (except perhaps leaving you temporarily deaf from the loud sound and maybe with brown underpants too).

The Thais would be better off building their little paddy field shelters from steel, not bamboo, then the effect would be the same as with a steel mobile phone tower, earthed to take away the strike to ground.

[Our Man in the Tropics]

I have no time presently to peruse in depth the following results from the search facility of the useful link [ http://lightningsafety.com/nlsi ] given by Puchaiyank above :

 

About 29 results (0.60 seconds) Sort by: Relevance     National Athletic Trainers' Association Position Statement: Lightning ... lightningsafety.com/nlsi_pls/NATA_2013.pdf File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat   2 Apr 2013 ... pager, cell phone, smartphone, or e-mail can transmit via automatic notification. Although such notification services can be useful, they should ...   An Overview of Lightning Detection Equipment www.lightningsafety.com/nlsi_lhm/overview_detectors_rev_416.pdf File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat   “Apps” for cell phones are recent source of reliable ... smart phone “apps” include : Weatherbug's “Spark”; “LightningFinder”;. NOAA's “Hi-Def Radar”; and others.   Lightning Protection of SOYUZ and VEGA launching pads lightningsafety.com/nlsi_lhm/SoyuzVegaLP.pdf File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat   Abstract— In 2011, two experiments were carried out on the the. SOYUZ and VEGA launching pads in Kourou, French Guyana, in order to verify the lightning ...   CV of NLSI Founder & CEO Richard Kithil Jr. lightningsafety.com/nlsi_history/RK-CVLarge.pdf File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat   5.2 Appointed Member, American Meteorological Society Lightning Safety. Committee. 5.3 Appointed Member, National Athletic Trainers Assoc. Lightning Policy.   Lightning Safety for Outdoor Workers - National Lightning Safety ... lightningsafety.com/nlsi_pls/outdoor_workers.html (Portable radios and cell phones are safe to use.) 5. When is it safe to go back outside? We suggest waiting a minimum of 20 minutes from the last observed ...   Lightning Safety in the Mining Industry - National Lightning Safety ... lightningsafety.com/nlsi_lhm/mining-safety.html A notification system of radios, sirens, loudspeakers, telephone, cell phone, or other communication means should be employed with the detectors. See An ...   LIGHTNING SAFETY IN THE MINING INDUSTRY lightningsafety.com/nlsi_lhm/LightningSafetyintheMiningIndustry.pdf File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat   ... system of radios, loudspeakers, strobe lights, remote sirens, telephone, cell phone and/or other communication means should be employed with the detectors.   Lightning Caused Deaths and Injuries in the Vicinity of Vehicles lightningsafety.com/nlsi_pls/lightning-caused-deaths-around-vehicles.pdf File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat   One antenna was connected to cell phone and vehicle power source had an earpiece in his ear; headache and burns dissipated after 3 days. 27 April 2004.   Lightning Protection in India lightningsafety.com/nlsi_lhm/lightning-protection-india-2011.pdf File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat   Lightning never strikes the same place twice. ▫ If it's not raining, or if clouds aren't overhead, you are safe from lightning. ▫ Rubber tires protect you from lightning ...   LIGHTNING SAFETY IN THE MINING INDUSTRY lightningsafety.com/nlsi_history/LightningSafetyMiningIndustry.pdf File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat   loudspeakers, strobe lights, remote sirens, telephone, cell phone and/or other communication means should be employed with the detectors. See the NLSI ...

 

[AAArdvark]

And don't forget that lightning often kills by striking the ground somewhere near by.  Also, some lightning is actually ground to cloud. 

[Enoon]

On 5/11/2020 at 11:20 AM, Swiss1960 said:

MOBILE PHONES ATTRACT LIGHTENING 

 

Every Thai knows that, happens even inside the house. Even my wife believes that and disallows phone use during lightening. 

 

 

 

Explain the difference between a mobile phone and a landline phone to her:

 

"In particular, people should stay away from windows and doors and avoid contact with anything that conducts electricity, including landline telephones. Most people hurt by lightning while inside their homes are talking on the telephone at the time"

 

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/6/flash-facts-about-lightning/

 

 

 

[rickudon]

On 5/11/2020 at 5:33 PM, Puchaiyank said:

Thailand ranks #2 in the world in people being killed by lightning.

 

http://lightningsafety.com/nlsi_pls/lightningstatistics.html

Great list! I now know lightning doesn't kill anybody in China, Most of Africa, and all the other ASEAN countries! Obviously all Thais contain a lightning conductor so remove all the risk from their neighbours!

[The Theory]

“That depends on the type of cover and its location. A tin roofed shack in the middle of a open field is not good cover.”

Unless it is built by metal sheet roof with steel legs (low cost to build) to ground.

If you work in a large farm far away from any good hiding place, build 1 or more emergency life saver that you can reach them quickly.

[Swiss1960]

3 hours ago, Enoon said:

 

Explain the difference between a mobile phone and a landline phone to her:

 

"In particular, people should stay away from windows and doors and avoid contact with anything that conducts electricity, including landline telephones. Most people hurt by lightning while inside their homes are talking on the telephone at the time"

 

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/6/flash-facts-about-lightning

 

I think you don't live in Thailand... I have not seen ANY landline phone in private homes in Thailand in all my years living here... 

 

Even carriers like AIS or True give you free MOBILE numbers when they install your fibre cables 

[Speedo1968]

22 hours ago, AAArdvark said:

And don't forget that lightning often kills by striking the ground somewhere near by.  Also, some lightning is actually ground to cloud. 

There's also ball lightning - have seen before in Australia.

[Speedo1968]

On 5/11/2020 at 4:15 PM, Sam Lin said:

And this is in no way unique to Isaan. People die of lightning strikes in many countries every year. Livestock die of even more strikes, and many ranchers have stories of multiple animals in a herd dying to the same strike.

Back in the 70's I spent many months riding horse rounding up over many hectares ( about 30km per day ) for feeding / treatment / checking no bones lodged in mouth etc.
Whenever a storm was approaching, even if no or little signs the horses would get jumpy and sometimes bolt.    For some reason if there was a fence nearby they would start running along the fence.

[Speedo1968]

On 5/12/2020 at 11:55 AM, DJ54 said:

My family tells me take off my ring and necklace.... I’m never If rarely out at the farm or standing outside during a thunderstorm... 

 

Looked up if wearing ring and necklace if I would be prone to lighting strike...  whether true or not it said if lightning is close 

enough to strike you taking off ring would make no difference..

Not sure how attracted lightning would be to a gold ring would be.
I used to dowse for water etc. at possible new farm sites and existing sites in different countries, also trace unmarked electric cables etc. but could never react to gold.    A friend was able to react to gold but found water and other buried objects more difficult.

 

Still, just on the safe side I would never wear carry any metal objects out on farm land when there is a storm.

[Michael Hare]

18 hours ago, Swiss1960 said:

I think you don't live in Thailand... I have not seen ANY landline phone in private homes in Thailand in all my years living here... 

 

Even carriers like AIS or True give you free MOBILE numbers when they install your fibre cables 

That is strange. I have lived in Thailand since 1974 and use to see thousands of landline telephones in private homes. In Khon Kaen, we had a private telephone (1977-1980) and in Ubon Ratchathani (1994 to 2014) we have had a landline in each of the three homes we have lived in. However, currently in our home in Ubon we have done away with the landlines and only use mobile phones.

[Michael Hare]

Some years ago in Amphur Nong Sung in Mukdahan province, a school teacher from Perth, Australia was visiting a local waterfall (Tad Ton)  and while chatting on his mobile telephone standing in the water, lightning struck him. Sadly, he died along with five other people. 

 

[Farma]

Those summer storms are short and sharp. The same day this person unfortunately lost their life the "Sisaket today" facebook page showed a number of houses destroyed in Phrai Bung and 6 cows lying dead under a tree struck by lightning in Udon Thani.

 

Landline phone were limited in my area 20 years ago. X number of lines allocated per town. A couple of years waiting list or buy a line off someone in the town. We were quoted B10,000 from one local to buy their number for our business. We declined the offer using our mobiles instead.

[Damrongsak]

On 5/13/2020 at 7:52 AM, Swiss1960 said:

I think you don't live in Thailand... I have not seen ANY landline phone in private homes in Thailand in all my years living here...

My landlady in BKK had one.  But that was 1980. 

[Pattaya46]

On 5/13/2020 at 1:52 PM, Swiss1960 said:

I think you don't live in Thailand... I have not seen ANY landline phone in private homes in Thailand in all my years living here... 

I have seen many, and just looking at my contacts list I still have several with landlines; phone numbers with 8 or 9 digits, not 10 (including leading 0).

[Relocated]

On 5/11/2020 at 3:06 AM, tiocfaidh said:

Mobile phones do not attract lightning but being the tallest object in a flat paddy field stood in water WILL.

Let's keep the story as mobile phone attracts lightening whether there is storm cloud or not. 

I wish the world go back to the time where there was no mobile phone. 

Mobile phone may cause global warming, I believe.