“lightning deaths were lowest in the 71-years of record keeping. Just 26 people were killed by lightning in 2011, which is amazing considering the frequency of violent severe weather outbreaks across the U.S. By comparison, 551 people were killed by tornadoes in 2011, the most since 1950 and third highest on record according to NOAA.”

Why so few lightning deaths?

The article credits “a successful public education campaign,” as stated by John Jensenius, the National Weather Service‘s lightning expert.

“In large part, the reduction in lightning fatalities is due to the efforts of many people and organizations who help educate the public on the dangers of lightning and make the public more aware of our lightning safety recommendations,” he said.

When I started this blog in September of 2008, I wrote, “It is in this weblog that I plan to show North Jersey’s progression of installing the lightning detection as well as promoting awareness.” Today, in January of 2012, I am proud to say that I have had a hand in changing the lightning death statistics. I’d like to think that this blog – despite its small stature compared to the vast Internet world, has made a difference.

I’d also like to thank you, the reader, because without you reading (and learning), those statistics wouldn’t have changed.

And, of course, I’d like to thank Lee Weisbrod. This new finding further proves that his death was not in vain.

Here’s to keeping lightning deaths at a minimum…

It’s not everyday that this blogger gets contacted by a “fan.” Most recently, I was contacted by Kayla Jane, the sister of Ryan Snutch. In speaking back and forth with Kayla Jane, I came to hear the unfortunate and heartbreaking story of her older brother. For lack of the inability to write Snutch‘s story better than Macleans Magazine, a Canadian publication, has done. I am providing it, with credit, below.

I thank Kayla Jane for seeking me out and allowing me the opportunity to honor a man that I can truly say I wish I had the chance to meet. Kayla Jane, please keep in touch. We’re connected now… R.I.P. Ryan Snutch, may your legacy live on.

Ryan Snutch

He was selfless, always helping others. As a child he never pressured his parents for toys, even when all his friends had Nintendo.
by Alex Ballingall on Wednesday, October 5, 2011 10:40am

Ryan Snutch was born in Ottawa on Dec. 22, 1984, six weeks sooner than expected. In the early hours of the morning, Ryan’s mother Kitty went into labour and was whisked off to the hospital by her husband, Don, leaving their house full of family and friends. After all, it was three days before Christmas.

Born at that moment of happy togetherness, Ryan carried this sentiment to others in the early years of his life. As a baby, when it was time for bed, he couldn’t fall asleep without holding onto one of his parent’s fingers. “You had to sit there with your hand through the crib,” recalls Don. When his little sister Kayla was learning to speak, Ryan would “translate” on her behalf, telling Kitty and Don that he could understand her because he still knew “baby talk.”

A few years later, when Ryan was in Grade 3, Don showed up at Ryan’s school for a volunteer appreciation day. He was approached by a woman who vigorously shook his hand and thanked him “for raising such a good boy.” Apparently, the woman’s son, who was in kindergarten, was dejectedly playing by himself one day. Defying all playground conventions of cool, Ryan veered away from his own friends to go join him. It was something that regularly happened as Ryan grew older: his parents learned much about Ryan’s good nature from the stories people would tell of his caring generosity. “People constantly come up to us and compliment us on our son,” says Don.

Ryan was also never one to press his parents for money or toys. When every other kid they knew had a Nintendo, Ryan never hassled his parents to get him one. “His needs weren’t great,” Don says, emphasizing that, even at a young age, Ryan appreciated the simple things in life—like quality time with loved ones. “He was very mature,” says Don. “Ryan was never ashamed to come up to his mother and give her a kiss and say ‘I love you.’ ”

At 15, Ryan became the first teenager to join the adult dart league, which was organized by his father. He was a natural. At dart tournaments, Don says Ryan was the only person who would pick a 57-year-old mentally challenged person to be on his team—every time. The two of them even won darts championships together. “This guy worshipped Ryan,” says Don.

Ryan was quick to make friends and easy to talk to. As his father puts it, “he could have made a great bartender.” Perhaps because of this, two of his friends from high school chose him to be the godfather of their respective children. Don says Ryan worked exceedingly hard to spend time with them every week—especially for Tristan, diagnosed early on with autism. Before he got his driver’s licence, Ryan would walk or take the bus—sometimes for over an hour—to see his godchildren.

In the summer of 2005, Ryan went to a music festival at the Whispering Pines campground, about 70 km east of Ottawa. That’s where he met RoseAnn Garde, whose parents ran the place. They were introduced by some mutual friends. “It was pretty much love at first sight,” RoseAnn remembers. And so Ryan started coming back regularly. Soon enough, they were going steady, and Ryan was heading out there almost every weekend, driving from work in the city.

On Jan. 25, 2010, Ryan and RoseAnn had a baby. They named him Julian. “They look so much alike—his laugh, his giggle, even his smile,” says RoseAnn. Everyone could tell that Julian meant the world to his father. RoseAnn’s mom Eileen remembers Julian scampering through the woods at the campground, screaming “Daddy!” when Ryan would turn up after a brief absence. “It was so beautiful,” she says.

This Labour Day weekend, Ryan, RoseAnn and Julian spent the holiday with family and friends at Whispering Pines. Early that Sunday, storm clouds dragged across the morning sky, bringing thunder and rain as the three of them slept in a tent nestled within a grove of evergreen trees. In that moment of togetherness, a bolt of lightning flashed into their tent, entering Ryan’s body with a deafening crack. Instinctively, Ryan pushed RoseAnn to get her away from danger. With electricity coursing through him, his hand left a burned imprint on her back—the shadow of his last act of love. Ryan was rushed to hospital, where he died soon thereafter. He was 26.

That being said, this blog is a result of MBG’s “innovative teaching.” You can read the full article featured in Rowan Today here.

Be sure to read paragraph #11!! I’m featured.

Today marks 5 years (1,825 days) without Lee Weisbrod. How unfortunate that statement is for the world as a whole. As I grow older alongside my best friends (that I am blessed to have since I was in the fifth grade), I can’t help but notice the transformations we have made in our lives. I often find myself wondering where Lee would be – how his personality may have changed, where he’d be living (Miami, still?), where he’d be working, if he’d be happy…the list goes on and on.

Every year on the anniversary of Lee’s death, I write him a letter and leave it at the cemetery. The letter never addresses what is going on in my life at this very moment and it’s never a recap of the last year – there’s no need for that because while he may not be here physically…he’s still here. Oddly enough it’s usually whatever flows out of my mind and onto paper. I won’t share with you the letter; however, I will share with you the poem I accompanied with it because it is powerful.

For Grief
by John O’Donohue

When you lose someone you love,
Your life becomes strange,
The ground beneath you becomes fragile,
Your thoughts make your eyes unsure;
And some dead echo drags your voice down
Where words have no confidence
Your heart has grown heavy with loss;
And though this loss has wounded others too,
No one knows what has been taken from you
When the silence of absence depends.

Flickers of guilt kindle regret
For all that was left unsaid or undone.

There are days when you wake up happy;
Again inside the fullness of life,
Until the moment breaks
And you are thrown back
Onto the black tide of loss.
Days when you have your heart back,
You are able to function well
Until in the middle of work or encounter,
Suddenly with no warning,
You are ambushed by grief.

It becomes hard to trust yourself.
All you can depend on now is that
Sorrow will remain faithful to itself.
More than you, it knows its way
And will find the right time
To pull and pull the rope of grief
Until that coiled hill of tears
Has reduced to its last drop.

Gradually, you will learn acquaintance
With the invisible form of your departed;
And when the work of grief is done,
The wound of loss will heal
And you will have learned
To wean your eyes
From the gap in the air
And be able to enter the hearth
In your soul where your loved one
Has awaited your return
All the time.

]]> http://aflashoflight.wordpress.com/2011/07/22/5-years/feed/ 5 jleh0628 http://aflashoflight.wordpress.com/2011/07/06/happy-24th-birthday-my-angel/ http://aflashoflight.wordpress.com/2011/07/06/happy-24th-birthday-my-angel/#comments Wed, 06 Jul 2011 13:54:36 +0000 jleh0628 http://aflashoflight.wordpress.com/?p=345 Continue reading →]]>

Last week I celebrated my 24^th birthday, which marked the fifth birthday  – in a never-ending string of birthdays – that I have not commemorated with one of my best friends. Today, July 6, is that friend’s birthday and a remembrance will occur. There will be food and laughing and smiling and everything a typical party has – except the honoree.

At 24 years old, I’ve come to realize just how lucky I was to have such an influential person in my life at such a young age. Despite the shortness of his stay, which was beyond his control, he taught me numerous life lessons – lessons that I will not get into here. (Sorry to my blog readers who enjoy my scientific and factual posts. This clearly is not one.) After nearly 5 years (the anniversary of his death is July 22), I’ve accepted Lee Benjamin Weisbrod was placed on this Earth for a reason, a mission, a task – and, for me, personally, I believe his assignment was fulfilled – at least it was in my life.

So, even on today, I look at the future as bright because Lee definitely wouldn’t have wanted it any other way…

Lightning strikes are one of the major sources of external power surges that can severely damage electronic equipment and cause fires –both of which can be dangerous and are a huge disruption to a family or business.

“A lightning strike to an unprotected structure can cause catastrophic damage,” said Julie Rochman, CEO/ president of IBHS. “Fortunately, there are relatively simple, inexpensive steps that can be taken to substantially reduce the chances of
lightning-related damage and disruptions.”

For lightning protection, a whole-house/building surge protector is the best starting point for reducing the risk of damage. A number of utility companies have programs to provide and install whole-building surge protection systems. If this is not available in your area, consult a licensed electrician.

In addition to whole-building surge protection, IBHS strongly recommends the following:

• Install additional protection for important or expensive electronic equipment. This should include localized surge protection for power cords to the equipment and any telephone and cable/satellite TV lines connecting to the equipment. These devices are available at most home improvement and electronics stores.
• Have a licensed electrician or competent home/building inspector review the power, telephone, electrical and cable/satellite TV connections to your building. Have them check to make sure that you have adequate grounding of the power line connection and your power distribution panel. All of the utilities should enter the structure within 10 feet of the electrical service entrance ground wire and be bonded to that grounding point.

“Property losses related to lightning exceed $1 billion annually, according to insurance industry data,” Rochman said. “A properly installed lightning protection system is a great investment in making sure your business, home and family will be protected should lightning strike.”

For more information on how to reduce the risk of lightning damaging your home or business, visit DisasterSafety.org. To arrange an interview with IBHS contact Joseph King at (813) 675-1045/(813) 442-2845, jking@ibhs.org or via direct message on Twitter @jsalking.

# # #

About IBHS

IBHS is an independent, nonprofit, scientific and educational organization supported by the property insurance industry. The organization works to reduce the social and economic effects of natural disasters and other risks to residential and commercial property by conducting research and advocating improved construction, maintenance and preparation practices.

The victim said the lightning entered his body through his left hand an exited out his right foot. (Source: wtnh.com)

“He is a tough guy, like I said he did a year in Afghanistan, he comes home and gets struck by lightning, what are the odds,” says Brandi Naholnik. (‘Montville man struck by lightning lives,’ Tina Detelj of wtnh.com)

Read his amazing lightning strike story here: http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/new_london_cty/montville-man-struck-by-lightning-lives?ref=scroller&categoryId=10001&status=true&hpt=us_bn4.

]]> http://aflashoflight.wordpress.com/2011/06/10/afghanistan-veteran-gets-struck-and-lives-to-tell-tale/feed/ 0 jleh0628 Picture 1 http://aflashoflight.wordpress.com/2011/06/08/after-the-storm-comes-a-rainbow/ http://aflashoflight.wordpress.com/2011/06/08/after-the-storm-comes-a-rainbow/#comments Thu, 09 Jun 2011 02:41:59 +0000 jleh0628 http://aflashoflight.wordpress.com/?p=326 Continue reading →]]>

… “May God give you – for every storm, a rainbow; for every tear, a smile; for every care, a promise; and a blessing in each trial. For every problem life sends, a faithful friend to share, for every sign, a sweet song and an answer for each prayer.” – Irish Blessing

Along with the 10 inches of snow, a rare and little-known phenomenon known as “thundersnow” rumbled over parts of the Pascack Valley.

The Pascack Valley area experienced "thundersnow" during the Jan. 26-Jan. 27 snowstorm.

According to National Geographic News, thundersnow—when thunder and lighting occur during a snowstorm—most often appears in late winter or early spring.

Thundersnow works similarly to a summer thunderstorm – the sun heats the ground and pushes masses of warm, moist air upward, creating unstable air columns. As the columns rise, the moisture condenses to form clouds. The element that makes thundersnow so rare is that the atmospheric instability that needs to be present is typically not present in the wintertime.

According to National Geographic News, thundersnow only occurs when “the air layer closer to the ground is warmer than the layers above, but still cold enough to create snow – a very precise circumstance.”

Residents of the Pascack Valley are no stranger to the rare phenomenon after last night/this morning’s rapid snowfall rates. In fact, experts agree that rapid snowfall rate, more than two inches an hour, is connected to thundersnow.

Did you hear the rumble yet miss the lightning bolt? That’s expected, according to scientists. During thundersnow, the sky simply gets bright (with no visible lightning bolt present) and moments later a rumble of thunder is heard.

Did you witness the thundersnow and have similar views to Stephen Colbert’s? Post your stories/comment below!

While wandering in my local library a week or two ago, I stumbled across The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors by Michelle Young-Stone. Clearly, this was a must read for me for obvious reasons. For my blog readers (and even those uninterested in lightning), this book is a must read.

Young-Stone effortlessly tells the tale I wish I penned myself. The novel focuses on “damaged people.” She tells the tale of people who have been struck by lightning as well as those who have lost loved ones from death, divorce and drinking. Throughout the novel not only does Young-Stone portray the incredulousness of the unlucky but she also adds facts regarding lightning to enlighten the reader. I, for one, could not put it down.

“They were each, in some way, touched by lightning – connected and transformed by the heavens,” writes Young-Stone in the novel. Thank you, Young-Stone, for a touching book.

Facts from The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors:

• 10% of lightning strike victims die;
• Skin tingles and hair stands on end when lightning is about to strike;
• Isolated pointy-shaped objects are most likely to be struck;
• Common side effects victims suffer are: anxiety disorders, memory loss, stiff joints, numbness and insomnia;
• Lightning strikes the ocean. The number of animals/fish that die depends on the voltage of the strike and the number of animals/fish near the surface;
• The Empire State Building gets struck on average 25 times a year;
• There are about 20 million strikes in the U.S. per year;
• Survivors of lightning strikes were asked to draw images to describe what the electric shock felt like in a study. All images included: jaggedness, sharpness, pointed edges;
• Only 50% of those struck by lightning seek medical attention;
• About 80% of people struck by lightning are men. This is believed to be because more male professions take place outside;
• Most fatalities are due to cardiac arrest (do CPR!);
• A victim’s watch may not keep time due to altered electromagnetic fields;
• Lightning kills more people each year than hurricanes and tornadoes.