How to protect yourself in the event of thunderstorms?

• This Wednesday was "the most struck day since June 22", according to Météo-France.

  About 20,000 lightning strikes were recorded for this single day.

• Floods, electrification, fire… Violent thunderstorms can be dangerous.

• 20 Minutes

  takes stock of the reflexes to know to protect yourself in the event of thunderstorms.

The weather is electric in France.

After a few weeks of stifling temperatures, thunderstorms broke out.

Around 20,000 lightning strikes were recorded by Météo-France for Wednesday alone, the “most struck day since June 22”.

The next day, in the evening, six people died in Corsica, struck down by lightning.

Twenty others were injured.

Events that are likely to become recurring.

Electrification, burns, fire... Lightning can cause serious damage.

How to react in the event of a storm?

How do I avoid being hit by lightning?

takes stock of the reflexes to know.

Securing your home

When the storm is brewing, beware of lightning inside your habitat.

Close doors and windows, and stay away.

Professionals recommend not handling electrical equipment, or even unplugging it to prevent lightning from spreading through the electrical network and causing damage.

Also avoid taking a shower: metal parts such as pipes are particularly conductive.

If your home does not have a lightning rod, it is recommended that you disconnect the mains power cord and the antenna cable from a television set, and place them at least one meter away from the set.

Seek outdoor shelter

Violent thunderstorms can break out, and surprise you in the middle of a walk outside.

First reflex to see in this case, do not take shelter just anywhere.

You should "not take shelter under a" pseudo-shelter "like a tree, an umbrella and no longer at the foot of a wall", explained Olivier Proust, forecaster at Météo-France, at

last July.

The risk of being struck by lightning under a lone tree in an open space is about 50 times higher, due to the “peak effect”.

So how do you protect yourself from lightning?

“The best shelters in the event of a storm are stone buildings such as churches, if they are equipped with lightning rods, explained the Lightning Protection Association to

.

A car can also do the trick.

»

Take shelter in a car

The car remains a very good option, provided that it is not convertible or made of plastic.

To be really safe there, you have to think about closing doors and windows, and folding down the radio antenna.

In the event of a violent storm, make sure that the vehicle is not flooded.

If water enters the car, first try to open it, then turn on the hazard warning lights to be more easily spotted by the emergency services.

The vehicle doors may be blocked by water pressure.

If the windows do not open either, another solution may be to break the windows.

To do this, it is possible to remove the head restraints from the seats and use them to hit the windows.

Protect yourself without shelter

If you are not in the open air, you can certainly take refuge at the entrance of a building, preferably stone, or another building.

However, be careful not to lean against windows, a wall or a metal object.

No matter how hard you look, you can't find a place to shelter?

The best thing is to "crouch on the ground, feet on an insulating material (raincoat, backpack, rope, etc.) and tuck your head into your shoulders", say the firefighters of France on their website. .

As the ground is particularly conductive, professionals advise never to lie face down on the ground.

Remember to “keep at least 3 meters away from other people in the area,” they say.

Human beings are also very conductive, and lightning could be transmitted from person to person.

Planet

Storms in Corsica: State of natural disaster "declared on Wednesday"

In Corsica, more than twelve thousand tourists spent the night in gymnasiums

• Planet

• Severe weather

• Thunderstorm

• Lightning

• Danger