NCAA and NOAA: Procedure for a Lighten Strom

Procedure for Lightning Storm
According to the US Youth Soccer website, around 400 children and adults struck by lightning each year. 80% of them are killed while the rest are left to cope with permanent disabilities. Hence, it is important to create a procedure for lightning storm if one wants to host a class or game outdoors.
Of course, the most important way to ensure the safety of all involved is prevention. The NCAA together with the NOAA has provided these recommendations:
1 Develop a lightning safety plan for each outdoor venue. The plan should clearly state the "safe zone" where individuals can gather in case of lightning hazard. A safe location is defined as:
1 Any building normally occupied or frequently used by people, e.g., a building with plumbing and/or electrical wiring that acts to electrically ground the structure. Avoid the shower, plumbing facilities, contact with electrical appliances and open windows and doorways during a thunderstorm.
2 In the absence of a sturdy, frequently inhabited building, any vehicle with a hard metal roof (neither a convertible, nor a golf cart) with the windows shut provides a measure of safety. The hard metal frame and roof, not the rubber tires, are what protects occupants by dissipating lightning current around the vehicle and not through the occupants. It is important not to touch the metal framework of the vehicle. Some athletics events rent school buses to provide safer locations around open courses or fields.
2. Designate a person who will monitor the weather through the National Weather Service (NWS website at ), as well as a person who will make the decision to stop the game and remove all individuals from the venue. All participants must be aware of the lightning safety plan mentioned in #1.
3. Be aware of the differences between severe thunderstorm watch and a severe thunderstorm warning. If there is a warning, it means that there are imminent danger to life and property – it would serve you best to postpone the activity for another day. In case of a "watch", the activity can continue, but you have to be ready to act if a warning is issued later in the day.
6. Be aware of the flashes of lightning as well as an impending storm. Lightning experts agree that if you hear thunder, you have to begin preparation for evacuation. The flash-to-bang method in table 1 would help you know how far the thunder is and will allow you to approximate how much time you will have to take your plan into effect.
Table 1. Flash to Bang Method
To estimate the distance between your location and a lightning flash, use the "Flash to Bang" method: If you observe lightning, count the number of seconds until you hear thunder. Divide the number of seconds by five to obtain the distance in miles. Example: If you see lightning and it takes 10 seconds before you hear the thunder, then the lightning is 2 miles away.
If Thunder is heard

The Lightning is...

5 seconds after a Flash

1 mile away

10 seconds after a Flash

2 miles away

15 seconds after a Flash

3 miles away

20 seconds after a Flash

4 miles away

25 seconds...