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(1) Lightning Perhaps the most dangerous and costly effect of thunderstorms is lightning. As a thunderstorm grows, electrical charges build up within the cloud. Oppositely charged particles gather at the ground below. The attraction between positive and negative charges quickly grows strong enough to overcome the air's resistance to electrical flow. Racing toward each other, the charges connect and complete the electrical circuit. Charge then surges upward from the ground at nearly one-third the speed of light and produces a bright flash of lightning (Cappella, 1997). On average, lightning kills more people than any other weather event. Florida leads the nation in lightning related deaths and injuries (National Lightning Safety Institute). Most lightning strike fatalities occur in June, July and August. Florida also has the most strikes, about 12 strikes per square kilometer per year in some places (National Lightning Safety Institute). Nationwide, lightning -related economic losses amount to more than $5 billion per year, and the airline industry alone loses approximately $2 billion a year in operating costs and passenger delays from lightning (National Lightning Safety Institute). d. Wildfire/Urban Interface Zone The recent wildfires that burned throughout Florida, specifically central Florida, are examples of the increasing wildfire threat, which results from the Wildland/Urban Interface. The Wildland/Urban Interface is defined as the area where structures and other human development meet with undeveloped wildland or vegetative fuels (Federal Emergency Management Agency, 1996). As residential areas expand into relatively untouched wildlands, people living in these communities are increasingly threatened by forest fires. Indian River County Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan Basic Page 12