Lightning kills 8 pupils in Uganda- public reactions

PUPILS, teachers, parents and the neighbours of Buramba Primary School in Bushenyi-Ishaka Municipality, were on Thursday (24th July 2014) evening left in shock, after lightning struck eight pupils to death and left 23 critically injured.
The shocking incident happened at 4:45 PM during a simple drizzle, as the pupils were in class for evening lessons at the school.

 It is reported that Lightning had struck another school, Bunyarigi Primary School, in the same area, 14 days prior to this tragic incident, but there were no reported casualties due to the school having lightning conductors installed on their classrooms.

Below are some of the reactions by some of the prominent locals to the incident : (translated to English from the original language used)

Bishop for the Diocese: "This has been an eye opener to us because we have not been minding about installing the metals that arrest Lightning. God will protect all the pupils and parents going forward"

MP Ishaka Municipality: "I have spoken with the minister for disaster preparedness, and I will prepare a report and take it to his office to see if there are ways we can support the families."

Education Officer Ishaka Municipality: "It's been less than 2 weeks since lightning struck Bunyarigi (primary school), and now see what has happened here. I can assure the parents that we will not allow this to happen again"

School Headmistress: "We have been struck by lightning, because even the other pupils are afraid and have not reported back to school. I request parents not to abandon the school, and send pupils back. We plead with all who can support us to raise money to buy Lightning arrestors"

Lightning kills 8 pupils in Uganda

PUPILS, teachers, parents and the neighbours of Buramba Primary School in Bushenyi-Ishaka Municipality, were on Thursday evening left in shock, after lightning struck eight pupils to death and left 23 critically injured.
The shocking incident happened at 4:45 PM during a simple drizzle, as the pupils were in class for evening lessons at the school.
According to the Bushenyi District Police Commander SP Richard Anyama, the lightning struck only P.6 and P.7 classes.
The dead pupils included four girls and four boys and 6 of them were in P.7 while two were in Primary 6.
31 pupils were struck down, of whom 8 died on the spot and 23 were rushed to Kampala International University (KIU) Western Campus in Ishaka Town, where they are being treated.
Anyama confirmed the dead as Guston Mukundamukama P7, Hillary Tusiime (13) P7, Agnes Kyomugisha (14) P.7, Junior Nuwahereza (16) P7, Danson Nuwamanya P7, Grace Ainembabazi (14) P7, Anitah Nuwandita (14) P6 and Confort Akampurira (12) P6.
Efforts to contact the school’s head teacher were futile.
This was the second time it rained in the area in recent days and also for the first time in a number of years in the middle of a dry spell.
On Sunday, a heavy downpour characterized by strong winds and hailstones, destroyed plantations and livestock in the adjacent areas of Nyamitanga, Kyamutiganzi and Irembezi, all in Kyabugimbi sub county in Bushenyi district.

A case of Side flash!

ETOWAH, Ark. (July 3, 2014) Steven Shepherd, 16, died in a hospital after lightning struck him as he stood outside of a church in the Carroll’s Corner community in Arkansas, a sheriff says.
Shepherd was standing next to a tree Tuesday night when a storm began to move in, Mississippi County Sheriff Dale Cook said.
The boy’s mother was working inside the church with others and began to look for him after noticing he was missing.
The teenager was found lying face down next to a tree that had been struck by lightning.
He was taken to the South Mississippi Regional Medical Center in Osceola, where he later died.

Source: http://www.kwtx.com/weather/headlines/Lightning-Strike-Kills-Teen-Standing-Outside-Of-Church-265732061.html

short lightning safety YouTube releases

Hello - I thought you might like to see a couple of short lightning safety
YouTube releases as examples of what can be done and easily transmitted by
Facebook, YouTube, etc. 

If any of you want to modify any of the materials at the website
(www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov) for your country to be in the languages your
country uses and to show situations and people and dress that would be
native to your area or to use, the people at our National Weather Service
(particularly John Jensenius)have worked with many non-US people to provide
the source materials that can be modified for use in your country or region.


Here's a great article based on an interview John Jensenius  (the father of
lightning safety week) recently did.  He focuses on the ones that are
DANGEROUS, not the common but harmless myths:

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/debunked-5-lightning-myths-could-k
ill-you-n135971

John's 2013 Lightning Safety Message: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPcgOr24sWY

John's 2014 Lightning Safety Message:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5yvhJWUNUs&feature=youtu.be

Lightning Safety website:  www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov

Here's one done by Ryan Blumenthal, MD, from South Africa:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTkjlUwdXeo&list=PLxJ8ks5VMybCzbxHc9HVaq4oPs4
jtl-S6&feature=share&index=3



Mary Ann Cooper, MD, Founding Director
African Centres for Lightning and Electromagnetism
Professor Emerita, Department of Emergency Medicine
University of Illinois @ Chicago
www.uic.edu/labs/lightninginjury
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    'WHEN THUNDER ROARS, GO INDOORS'
  National Lightning Safety Awareness Week
                  Last full week of June
          www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov
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