ive always been terrified of lightning...like whenever a storm comes i cryy!!!
now, my aunts house got struck my lightning and they have a hole in their house!!!!!
how did this happen? && likee....can u die if ur in the house and the lightning hits u?
2007-07-06 11:23:02 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Weather
it's highly possible that you can die.............
2007-07-06 11:26:54 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
The good news is you can be relatively safe in a house. Most houses are made of brick or wood, which don't attract lightning like metal does. Buildings made of steel or with metal on the roof are all built to ground, which means once the lightning strikes, the electricity will go directly into the earth along the grounding wires and mechanisms.
Lightning strikes happen when the clouds get built up with static electricity and discharges to release that buildup, like the shock you get from rubbing a carpet and touching someone, only on a bigger scale.
If you're on a phone or in the bathtub during a lightning storm, you're in more danger, since the lightning strike could travel back up the metal pipes and through the water.
Even people who do get struck by lightning, 80% will survive the strike. As long as the heart rhythms aren't disrupted by the electricity crossing the heart, you have a good chance of surviving with only burns, caused mostly by metal jewelry against the skin.
2007-07-06 18:37:24 · answer #2 · answered by simpsonsfan35 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your aunts house was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Be thankful that all they got was a hole in their house. Lightning can do tremendous damage. It has a mind of its own by traveling the path of least resistance. As long as you are not on a landline corded phone, taking a shower, or propped up on a heating duct, you won't be hurt by lightning in your house.
If you do have a lightning strike, be careful when you check everything out after the storm. Masonry isn't your only issue. There could be weakened tree limbs or worse yet, a smoldering fire. You have a better chance of being hit by a car than struck by lightning, so don't worry about it!
2007-07-07 01:57:14 · answer #3 · answered by Eskimo Mom 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Lightning is quite capable of killing you. 1 amp of electrical current flowing through your heart is more than enough to kill you, and lightning generates several million amps.
However, there is no reason to be scared. With a few simple precautions, you can reduce your chances of being struck by lightning to almost zero.
1. Stay in your car during a storm. If your car is struck by lightning, the metal body of the car will conduct the electricity, keeping you safe. Your car's electronics will probably be ruined, though.
2. Don't stand near trees in a storm. Any tall object that is grounded (touching the ground) is a likely spot for lightning to strike.
3. Get a lightning rod installed on your house. The lightning rod is simply a metal rod that sticks off the top of the house and goes down to buried metal pipes (which are grounded). The lightning will almost always take the path of least electrical resistance, through the lightning rod (which is a very good conductor).
4. Don't take a shower during a storm. There is a possibility that if your house is struck by lightning, electricity could flow through water pipes, electrocuting you.
2007-07-06 18:39:42 · answer #4 · answered by lithiumdeuteride 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not likely. I have been in a house severely damaged by lightning and it didn't hurt anyone in the house. If the lightning hits the house it doesn't hit you. However, a lightning hit on a house can do physical damage e.g. knock down a chimney and the falling masonry could do you some damage if you are in the way.
You are only likely to be hit by lightning if you are outside and in the open during a storm. Holding up an umbrella or a golf club makes it even more likely.
2007-07-06 18:29:27 · answer #5 · answered by Sandy G 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Resources: Lightning science and safety
During every minute of every day, roughly 1,800 thunderstorms are creating lightning somewhere on Earth. Though the chances of being struck by lightning are estimated at 1 in 700,000, these huge electrical sparks are one of the leading causes of weather-related deaths in the USA each year with an average of 73 people killed; about 300 people usually are injured by lightning.
The link below will take you to detailed information and graphics that explain what lightning is, how it forms, how it generates sound we know as thunder, and, most importantly how to play it safe around lightning. Other links take you to outside sites that have information on the science of lightning and strange kinds of lightning.
2007-07-09 15:24:18 · answer #6 · answered by Michael N 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Some buildings have huge metal poles to absorb lightning, so it doesn't hit anyone inside.
If you're in a building and don't get hit, it'll be because your surroundings have absorbed it.
I've been in a plane hit by lightning, and we were fine; the shock was absorbed by the metal surrounding us.
2007-07-06 20:28:12 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Maybe your auunts pissed God off. Or your aunt's didn't have proper lightning protection.
Life is full of hazards, and lightning is one of them. However, it needs to be put in perspective:
(a) There are precaution to take to be safer
(b) People are subject to more common hazards as part of living, such as auto accidents.
If your fear is putting a dent in your lifestyle, perhaps should should talk to a psychological social worker about it.
2007-07-06 18:31:07 · answer #8 · answered by cattbarf 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It's possible but unlikely. There are thousands of things that can kill you. Don't worry about a one in a million or more possibility.
2007-07-06 18:30:02 · answer #9 · answered by tidww 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋