NBC6’s Marissa Bagg takes a closer look at lightning warning systems in the wake of the death of a 19-year-old runner who was struck and killed by lightning.
Days after a 19-year-old was fatally struck by lightning in a Davie park, NBC6 asked questions about the lightning detection systems meant to issue warnings and keep people safe.
Many parks and schools in South Florida have these detection systems to alert anyone nearby that lightning is in the area.
When the system sounds, it’s a 15--second, high-pitched tone difficult to miss.
“It’s basically an electrical field that can detect the changes in the electricity of the atmosphere, and that’s what sets off the warning system. I do know that the systems will go off before there are strikes,” Rob Van Aken, the vice president of the Miami office of All South Lightning Protection, said.
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The warning alerts people to find shelter. Often a strobe flashes as long as lightning is near.
“The second you hear a warning sound from one of the early detection systems, seek shelter immediately. Whether it be in an actual structure with a roof over it, or your vehicle, as long as it has a hard top,” said Van Aken.
Three short blasts indicate the all clear, and that it’s safe to return to the field.
The system usually sits on the roof of a building, like it does at Vista View Park in Davie, where 19-year-old Ethan Lawrence was running when he was struck on Sunday.
Broward County Parks said crews test the system every month, and the one there is operational.
“It goes off a lot. I can’t say if it was working [that day] or not, but I do hear it all the time I’m here,” Sheldon Austin, who frequents Vista View Park, said.
If the system isn’t sounding and you hear thunder, you should still seek shelter immediately. If that is not an option, Van Aken said to:
- get down in a lower position
- avoid tall trees, light poles and anything metal
- stay away from bodies of water
Lawrence’s death on Sunday is the second lightning death in Florida this year, and the sixth in the country.
Florida is widely known as the lightning capital of the world.
