Thunder rumbles, the sky darkens… No doubt, there’s a storm in the air! Take shelter quickly in a secure place: at home, as a priority, or in a concrete place if this is not possible. As the Ministry of the Interior reminds us, “all the recommendations for protecting people against lightning are based on two principles: not to constitute a target for lightning and not to place oneself in situations which risk applying a difference of potential between two parts of the body”.
Above all, avoid telephone booths, the edges of the beach, water points and metal structures of all kinds. “Accidents occur when a person, whose feet are in contact with insufficiently conductive ground, touches a live metal part: a voltage then appears between the point of contact with the structure and the feet, and an electric current will be able to cross the body”, warns the ministry. If you have nowhere to take refuge, don’t panic: some good reflexes will allow you to stay safe and sound. Discover five of them in our slideshow below, given by meteorologist Fred Decker in the columns of Le Parisien.
Does lightning strike you more often than elsewhere? Here is the ranking of the most affected regions, according to figures from the specialized site Meteorage:
