DHSEM Update: August 11

Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management Update:  August 11, 2014

Included in this DHSEM Update:

• 2014 LEPC Conference
• Public Comment Sessions for CDBG-DR
• Job and Volunteer Opportunities
• Kudos and Congratulations
• Educational Resources
• Twitter Tips
• 2014 National Preparedness Report
• READYColorado Events Calendar
• Real-Time Lightning Map
• Black Forest Fire and Waldo Canyon Fire Research Study
• Training Courses and Information

Colorado Lightning Safety Awareness Week: Lightning and Wildfires

Colorado Lightning Safety Awareness Week concludes today with wildfires being the final topic. During the past week we have presented lightning information and safety rules. Although wildfires are not an actual weather phenomenon wildfires are directly related to lightning and other weather elements.

Normally, the wildfire threat in Colorado increases significantly after the middle of June and usually peaks in early July...and remains high through August and early September. Colorado averages about 2,500 wildfires each year.

About half of all forest fires in Colorado are ignited by lightning. Additionally, many rangeland and wheatfield fires are caused by lightning. Many of these lightning caused wildfires occur in the absence of rain and are the result of what is referred to as dry thunderstorms.

Read the full blog post written by the National Weather Service at www.READYColorado.com.  

Colorado Lightning Safety Awareness Week: Medical Issues of Lightning Injuries

Colorado Lightning Safety Awareness Week continues through Saturday. Lightning safety information provided this week will hopefully help you avoid any encounters with lightning. Today we discuss lightning injuries.

The facts about lightning strike victims:
In Colorado cloud to ground lightning flashes occur nearly a half million times each year. With millions of visitors and extensive outdoor activities it is not surprising that three people are killed each year in Colorado and there are an average of 13 lightning injuries. While any death is tragic, injuries can be equally tragic and devastating to the family. For those who have a relative that suffers a significant disability from lightning life changes forever. In addition to the physical pain and mental anguish suffered by the victim and their family the incident may lead to a loss of income for the family. Over time, medical expenses for treatment may drain the assets of a family.


View the full blog post written by the National Weather Service at www.READYColorado.com. 

Colorado Lightning Safety Awareness Week: Safe Shelters and Indoor Lightning Safety

The week of June 22 through June 28 is Lightning Safety Awareness Week in Colorado and nationwide. This public information statement will discuss safe shelters and indoor lightning safety.

Statistics tell us that we are much less likely to become a lightning victim if we remain inside a substantial structure such as a home or office building when thunderstorms are nearby. In 2013, 23 people in the United States lost their lives after being struck by lightning and countless others were injured. While most people struck by lightning are outside in open areas such as ball fields, parks, golf courses, near water or some type of machinery, a small percentage of those killed or injured are indoors. Therefore it is important to discuss indoor lightning safety.

Read the full blog post written by the National Weather Service at READYColorado.com.  

Colorado Lightning Safety Awareness Week: Outdoor Lightning Safety

When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors

Colorado Lightning Safety Awareness Week continues through Saturday. Yesterday we discussed the science of lightning. Today we will cover outdoor lightning safety.

Outdoors is the most dangerous place to be during a thunderstorm. Each year, many people in the United States are struck by lightning while working outside, at sporting events, on the beach, mountain climbing, fishing, mowing the lawn or during other outdoor activities. In 2013, 23 people in the United States were killed and many more were survivors of a lightning strike. All of those lightning fatalities occurred outdoors.

In Colorado, since 1959 there have been 141 documented lightning fatalities and hundreds of others who were injured by lightning. In 2013 there were no documented lightning fatalities in Colorado. However, 22 people within the state were struck by lightning while outdoors and all survived.


Read the full blog post written by the National Weather Service at READYColorado.com. 

Colorado Lightning Safety Awareness Week: The Science of Thunderstorms and Lightning

Colorado Lightning Safety Week continues through this Saturday. Today we discuss the science of lightning. 

Every thunderstorm produces lightning.  Lightning is a giant spark that moves within the cloud, between clouds, or between the cloud and the ground.  As lightning passes through the air...it heats the air rapidly to a temperature of about fifty thousand degrees Fahrenheit.  This causes a rapid expansion of the air near the lightning channel.  This rapid expansion causes a shock wave that we hear as thunder. 

Read the full blog posting at READYColorado.com.  

Colorado Lightning Safety Awareness Week: Lightning Safety Overview

In the United States, there are an estimated 23 million cloud-to-ground lightning flashes each year and each one is a potential threat to life and property. The 30-year average of human lightning fatalities is 52. The 10-year average of human lightning fatalities is 35. Last year 23 people were killed by lightning in the United States. Dozens of others were permanently injured. As a general rule...of the victims who were killed in 2013:

• Nearly 100 percent were outdoors.
• Around 74 percent were male.
• Around 15 percent were under a tree.
• Around 26 percent occurred on or near the water.

Please visit our READYColorado.com website for the full blog post written by the National Weather Service for Colorado Lightning Safety Awareness Week by Governor John Hickenlooper.

Colorado Lightning Safety Awareness Week 2014

Governor Hickenlooper has proclaimed the week of 22 - 28 June as Colorado Lightning Safety Awareness Week. The Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, READYColorado and the Division of Fire Prevention and Control are partnering together this week with the National Weather Service to raise the awareness of lightning safety.  The National Weather Service will write daily blogs that will be posted on READYColorado.com each day.

Lightning strikes the ground in our state over a half million times each year...and with many of us participating in outdoor activities we need to learn how to protect ourselves from the lightning threat.

Lightning is also responsible for about half of the wildfires in Colorado each year. When lightning or other conditions are conducive to a high wildfire threat the National Weather Service will issue Fire Weather Watches or Red Flag Warnings. 

During this week a series of statements will cover a variety of topics related to lightning and wildfires: 

MONDAY:  LIGHTNING OVERVIEW
TUESDAY:  THE SCIENCE OF THUNDERSTORMS AND LIGHTNING
WEDNESDAY:  LIGHTNING SAFETY OUTSIDE
THURSDAY:  LIGHTNING SAFETY INSIDE
FRIDAY:  MEDICAL ISSUES OF LIGHTNING INJURIES
SATURDAY:  LIGHTNING AND WILDFIRES 

There are a couple of web sites that contain additional information.  Information on lightning across the United States can be found at:

 HTTP://WWW.LIGHTNINGSAFETY.NOAA.GOV 

Information on lightning statistics in Colorado is available at:

HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/PUEBLO/LTG.PHP

Thunderstorm Season is Approaching. Are you Ready?

The National Weather Service wants everyone to be part of a Weather Ready Nation. Colorado is an annual host for tornadoes, flash floods, hail, killer lightning and wind damage. Are you Weather READY?  Now is the time to make sure you know How to stay safe when severe weather threatens.  The week of APRIL 14 - 20 is Colorado Severe Weather Awareness Week.

Now is the time to learn more about Severe weather in Colorado and develop severe weather preparedness plans. 

Each year for the past 20 years there have been an average of 50 tornadoes in Colorado, three people killed by lightning and another 13 injured by lightning. 

The National Weather Service offices which cover Colorado will issue a series of public information statements during the week covering the following topics:

• Monday:  Watches and Warnings
• Tuesday:  Tornadoes and Tornadoe Safety
• Wednesday:  Flood and Flash Flood Safety
• Thursday:  Downburst Wind and Hail
• Friday:  Lighting and Lightning Safety
• Saturday:  A Reivew of the Week

Warnings are issued by the National Weather Service for a variety of thunderstorm hazards. Make sure you have a way to receive warnings. If you live in a community with a siren understand the protocol for sounding those sirens. If you have a relatively new cell phone you will receive tornado and flash flood warnings on your phone if you are in the area of the warning. NOAA Weather Radios are a great way to monitor the weather and receive warnings and they can be found and most hardware or electronics stores.

Safety information, watches, warnings, forecasts, past weather and much more information is available at  your local National Weather Service websites:

• WWW.WEATHER.GOV/DENVER NWS DENVER WEB SITE
• WWW.WEATHER.GOV/PUEBLO NWS PUEBLO WEB SITE
• WWW.WEATHER.GOV/GOODLAND NWS GOODLAND WEB SITE
• WWW.WEATHER.GOV/GJT NWS GRAND JUNCTION WEB SITE

Severe Weather - Lightning Safety

According to the National Weather Service, Lightning has killed and injured more people in Colorado than any other thunderstorm hazard.  A threat not only to people, lightning strikes are a common cause of wildfires and grassfires, mostly from storms where there is little rainfall but a high number of lightning strikes.

Lightning Safety Tips

• The SAFEST thing you can do?  Stay indoors and away from windows during a storm.
• If you feel your hair stand on end, drop to the ground in a crouched position, hands on knees. Do not lie flat on the ground.
• Avoid being the highest object in any area.
• Avoid hilltops, trees or telephone poles. In a forest, move under a growth of small trees.
• Stay away from water during a thunderstorm. Water conducts electricity.
• Get off or away from open water and metal equipment (golf cars, tractors, bicycles). Drop golf clubs and remove golf shoes. Keep several yards away from other people. In open areas, go to a low place like a ravine or valley.
• Inside a home, avoid using the phone and unplug unnecessary appliances.
• Watch for flash flooding.
• Many people apparently "killed" by lightning can be revived if quick action is taken.
• Learn mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and CPR. First aid given should be given to those not breathing within a few minutes.
• If you're affected by a lightning strike, see a physician immediately.

Most important, just be aware before you head out as to what the weather conditions are going to be in your area.  A day where there is a 90% chance of severe thunderstorms is not the day you should challenge your first Fourteener.  To keep up with weather conditions, be sure to check the NWS Colorado Weather Alerts Page, the Colorado Lightning Resource Center, and the National Lightning Safety Institute.