Lightning.
It is a powerful, deadly force. Unpredictable, it can strike anywhere, anytime. When it does strike it is often with dire consequences, often causing homes to burn, trees to split, and people to die.
On average, fifty-three people die a year from lighting strikes in our country. There have been 24 people killed in the US this year from lightning strikes, some killed while swimming, others just trying to get into their house during a storm, all died unexpectedly. The media rarely covers these lightning strike deaths. They get airtime on the local news and sometimes on The Weather Channel. Lightning strikes are mostly disregarded, one of those tragedies that “never happen to me,” but undoubtedly could.
Playing with lightning is close to playing Russian Roulette. You never know when your destiny and bad fortune will align.
I have a “hobby.” I am an amateur photographer. I am also a weather nerd. I am fascinated by the sky and what happens in it. That includes lightning. Many times as the storms roll in I am standing out in them. Ready to snap nature at its deadliest. I love it. I am not afraid of the ferociousness of it, of the violence so scantily contained within Mother Nature. I have taken a few lightning shots worth sharing. The off chance that I might catch a bolt with my lens, has me standing exposed as the front-typically,the strongest part of a storm- approaches.
However, I do not want to be a statistic. I do take precautions. I live on a ridge. From my hill you can see all the way to Ohio. The “Holler” in front of my house gives me an unprecedented view of any storms that tend to steer north of us. These storms offer a rare opportunity to shoot whatever phenomena they produce without actually being in the storm. Is it 100% safe? No. It is an indisputable fact that if you can hear thunder, you can be struck by lightning. I know the danger. I understand the risks.
Have I ever met a storm I wouldn’t stand out in? Of course! Tornadic storms mean I must get my family to safety, so any thought of photography never enters my mind. (Okay, maybe “never” is too strong of a word.) A few days ago, a regular old, garden-variety thunderstorm rolled through. I went outside with my camera and immediately retreated to the safety of the house. The lightning was incredibly close. So close you heard the thunder as soon as you saw the strike. It was coming straight at the ground. Those two elements had me watching the storm out the window…only partially sad at a missed opportunity.
We all take risks everyday. The gift of life, is just that… a gift. The good Lord can call us home at any time. If I go from a lightning strike, it meant it was my time to go. If I am struck and live…well, I guess I may learn a lesson from it.
The moral of the story here is this: Take cover in storms. Get a weather app that alerts you to potentially dangerous weather. I love weatherbug. Stay in tune with what is going on around you and don’t take chances.
Basically, “do as I say, not as I do.”
***The picture above was taken by me in July of this year. No one was harmed in the taking of these photographs. Copyright 2015 Melody Bills-Hubbard.