Louisiana has long been known as a lightning rod in the political arena. However, we are just as much of a lightning rod for Mother Nature too. Our state falls behind only Florida in the number of lightning strikes per year.

Last year our state was subject to approximately 827,000 lightning strikes. Lighting strikes of this kind have been responsible for 142 fatalities since 1959. If you average that out that is about two and half fatalities every year are caused by lightning.

Part of the reason for our potential risk for fatalities in lightning storms is the frequency of the storms and our active lifestyle. Since many Louisianians enjoy outdoor activities like hunting, fishing, boating, and others it is no wonder our propensity for lightning injuries is high.

The thunderstorm you see depicted in the video above was the same storm that was responsible for a house fire in Youngsville that same afternoon. Knowing lightning safety is very important in keeping yourself and your family out of harms way.

 

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