The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Weather Service (NWS) is forecasting heavy rainfall, thunderstorms with hail and gusty winds expected to arrive in Los Angeles County on Friday morning and forecasted to remain through the evening on December 12, 2014.
The following are some safety tips to help prepare residents for thunderstorms and lightning;
- No place outside is safe in or near a thunderstorm. Stop what you are doing and get to a safe place immediately. Remember small outdoor buildings, including dugouts, rain shelters, sheds, etc., are not safe.
- If you hear thunder, lightning is close enough to strike you, and you should move to a safe shelter: a substantial building (office building, school and home offer good protection). Once inside, stay away from windows, doors, and anything that conducts electricity such as corded telephones, computers and other equipment.
- Electrical charges can linger in clouds after a thunderstorm has passed, experts recommend that people should wait at least 30 minutes after the storm before resuming activities.
- Stay away from objects that conduct electricity (barbed wire fences, power lines, windmills, etc.).
If you are caught outside with no safe shelter nearby, the following actions may reduce your risk:
- Immediately get off elevated areas such as hills, mountain ridges or peaks.
- Never lie flat on the ground, under an isolated tree, use a cliff or rocky overhang for shelter. Immediately get out and away from ponds, lakes and other bodies of water.
- Stay away from objects that conduct electricity (barbed wire fences, power lines, windmills).
For additional information, please go to http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/.
Los Angeles County residents and businesses, including persons with disabilities and others with access and functional needs, may call 211 LA County for emergency preparedness information, and other referral services. The toll-free 2-1-1 number is available 24 hours a day and seven days a week. 211 LA County services can also be accessed at http://211la.org. To register for the Specific Needs Awareness Planning program please go to https://snap.lacounty.gov. For disaster/emergency preparedness information, please access http://lacoa.org and/orhttp://espfocus.org.
