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one (these were reports to NCDC through 11/14). <br />Because thunderstorms are hazards that are not bounded by <br />geographic or topographic characteristics, there are no definite <br />means to determine whether or not the extent of this hazard <br />differs from jurisdiction to jurisdiction within Indian River <br />County. <br />Perhaps the most dangerous and costly effect of <br />thunderstorms is lightning. As a thunderstorm grows, electrical <br />charges build up within the cloud. Oppositely charged particles <br />gather at the ground below. The attraction between positive <br />and negative charges quickly grows strong enough to <br />overcome the air's resistance to electrical flow. Racing toward <br />each other, the charges connect and complete the electrical <br />circuit. Charge then surges upward from the ground at nearly <br />one-third the speed of light and produces a bright flash of <br />lightning (Cappella, 1997). <br />On average, lightning kills more people than any other <br />weather event. Florida leads in the nation in lightning related <br />deaths and injuries. Most lightning strike fatalities occur in <br />June, July, and August. Between 1959 and 2013, there <br />have been 468 lightning -related deaths in Florida <br />(http://articles.oriandosentinel.com/2013-07-05/news/os- <br />Iightning-deaths-florida-20130705_1—lightning-al ley- <br />lightning-deaths-john-jensenius). Nationwide, lightning - <br />related economic losses amount to over $5 billion dollars per <br />year, and the airline industry alone loses approximately $2 <br />billion a year in operating costs and passenger delays from <br />lightning (National Lightning Safety Institute, 2004c). <br />Between 1959 and 2014, Indian River County recorded one <br />lightning -related death (Wabasso) and seven injuries (4 <br />Wabasso, 2 Sebastian, 1 Indian River Shores). According to <br />the NCDC, two major lightning incidents caused $1,050,000 in <br />property damage. The majority of the damage came on 1 <br />June 1997 when a lightning -related fire destroyed a million <br />dollar home in Vero Beach. Between 1994 and 2009 there <br />have been five lightning events recorded with the NCDC — <br />resulting in seven injuries (4 in Wabasso and 3 in Sebastian) <br />and one death (in Wabasso). <br />Indian River County Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan Basic Page 29 <br />