FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) – Weather officials say stricter safety policies have reduced the number of fatal lightning strikes in Florida.

National Weather Service officials said lightning killed 16 people in the United States last year, including five deaths in Florida.

Florida typically leads the country with the most lightning fatalities each year.

Weather service lightning safety specialist John Jensenius said Florida has the most lightning per square mile of any state in the U.S.

Jensenius said Florida also has a large number of people working outside and participating in outdoor recreational activities.

Officials said improved medical care and greater awareness of lightning dangers have reduced the number of fatalities.

Many Florida school districts have installed lightning detectors and implemented policies that require students to seek shelter if thunderstorm warnings are issued.

Here are some lightning safety tips from the National Weather Service

What You Need to Know

  • NO PLACE outside is safe when thunderstorms are in the area!!
  • If you hear thunder, lightning is close enough to strike you.
  • When you hear thunder, immediately move to safe shelter: a substantial building with electricity or plumbing or an enclosed, metal-topped vehicle with windows up.
  • Stay in safe shelter at least 30 minutes after you hear the last sound of thunder.

Indoor Lightning Safety

  • Stay off corded phones, computers and other electrical equipment that put you in direct contact with electricity.
  • Avoid plumbing, including sinks, baths and faucets.
  • Stay away from windows and doors, and stay off porches.
  • Do not lie on concrete floors, and do not lean against concrete walls.

Last Resort Outdoor Risk Reduction Tips

If you are caught outside with no safe shelter anywhere nearby the following actions may reduce your risk
  • Immediately get off elevated areas such as hills, mountain ridges or peaks
  • Never lie flat on the ground
  • Never shelter under an isolated tree
  • Never use a cliff or rocky overhang for shelter
  • Immediately get out and away from ponds, lakes and other bodies of water
  • Stay away from objects that conduct electricity (barbed wire fences, power lines, windmills, etc.)

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