135 and counting

As the number of deaths in Cambodia from lightning strikes reaches an unprecedented level of 135 so far this year, the government have at last decided to introduce an awareness campaign using banners to warn the population of the dangers. I presume they mean the ones that are strung across the road and usually welcome visiting heads of state. Why such a campaign wasn't initiated months ago is beyond me. There were 95 deaths last year, surely that should've prompted some reaction from the authorities for starters. Lightning strikes usually occur during the monsoon rainy season, which came early this year, and we're already fast approaching the end of that period. Erecting banners is a start but much more needs to be done to educate everyone, in schools and at village and commune level, on television and radio, in newspapers, everywhere really. My previous post here gives a few simple precautions on how to avoid injury. In addition to the deaths, another 151 people have been severely injured by lightning. I'm not sure why the authorities have been so slow to respond to this increasingly deadly threat, maybe they've been too busy doing the paperwork for all the moto drivers failing to have wing mirrors, or to stop tuk tuk drivers using the city streets as they get in the way of all the Lexus' being driven without number plates.

Lightning strikes

Thunderstorm in Phnom Penh

Lightning is a major concern in Cambodia. Already this year, 50 people have died as a result of being struck by lightning and we are only four months into the year. 10 people died this weekend alone. And with the monsoon rains coming early this season, Phnom Penh has been subjected to lightning on most days for the last couple of weeks. It's a real concern. Last year 95 people were killed by lightning in Cambodia. By comparison, 3 people die on average due to lightning strikes in Britain. Education is a key factor in reducing deaths in a country where lots of people work out in the open. Here are a few simple precautions to take during a thunderstorm:

• Avoid wide, open spaces or exposed hilltops and don't shelter beneath tall or isolated trees. Seek shelter inside a large building or a motor vehicle. Check and take heed of weather forecasts of thunderstorms when planning a day outdoors.
• If you are swimming or on a body of water, get to the shore as quickly as possible. Move away from wide, open beaches and seek shelter inside a large building or motor vehicle.
• If caught out in the open during a thunderstorm, discontinue carrying umbrellas, fishing rods, golf clubs and other large metal objects. Keep away from metal objects such as motorcycles, tuk-tuks, bicycles, wire fences and rails.
• If your hair stands on end or nearby objects begin to buzz, move quickly away as lightning may be about to strike. These effects happen because the positive electrical charges forming at the ground are streaming upwards to try to make contact with the advancing downward negatively-charged 'leader'. Lightning does not always follow, as not all of the upward discharges make contact with the leader, but it is best to move away as a precaution. Seek shelter in a large building or motor vehicle.
• If caught out in the open with no shelter nearby, move to a place of lower elevation such as a hollow or dry ditch. Crouch down (to lower your height) with both feet close together. Do not place your feet wide apart or lie flat on the ground as this will increase the difference in voltage across your body, increasing the electrical charge you may receive from radial ground currents, if lightning strikes the ground nearby. Tuck your head in and place your hands on your knees.
• If inside a motor vehicle stay there during the thunderstorm. It will protect you as long as you do not touch the metal of the car body. A lightning strike will normally be safely conducted over the metal bodywork of the vehicle before earthing to the ground over the wet tyres.
• When indoors, keep away from windows, avoid touching metal pipes or radiators. If lightning strikes a television aerial, the cable may conduct the current into the building where it can jump to other wiring or metal piping circuits. Do not use a telephone except in an emergency.
• Finally, give first-aid (and get professional medical attention immediately) to anyone struck by lightning to help them recover. You will not receive an electrical shock as they carry no electrical charge. Act promptly.