Laserfiche WebLink
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 />