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How to stay safe when you see lightning

Most people know that if you see lightning to head indoors or into a car, but what if you have no place to go?

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Most people know that if you see lightning to head indoors or into a car, but what if you have no place to go?

That's a tricky situation for those outdoors because they are the most at-risk to be injured or killed by lightning.

The first option is to head into a building or a car. The lightning may strike those locations, but often travel safely around the structure or vehicle to the ground.

The biggest tip to not get struck by lightning is to not stand under a tree. Many people think this location is safe because the lightning will hit the tree and not them. However, the lightning will travel down the tree to the ground, then it can affect those standing nearby.

So what do you do if you have no building or vehicle?

The best and only option at that point is to crouch down and wait it out. If you can, stand on your backpack or jacket or anything that can insulate you from the ground below. Often, a lightning strike risk does not last long, so it pays to get into a crouch and wait it out.

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