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Robert Bicknell
Source: Vietnam News
The rainy season has arrived…well, its almost arrived…er, well, it
arrived in Hanoi, but not yet in Dong Mo. The lake remains low…but the
skies look promising.
The best news is that EVN says Hoa Binh is back on-line…well, almost
fully on line…but they have promised no more outages in Hanoi, but the
same still cannot be said for Dong Mo.
Electricity is close to my heart at the moment for many reasons, most
of which involves being a human fan for my daughter and trying to get some
sleep. It’s also close to my heart for other reasons…namely lightning and
golf courses.
Every year, I write about the dangers of playing golf during a storm,
yet there are a few people…who continue playing while lighting crashes
into the trees around them and thunder shakes the ground. These people are
known as "idiots".
Lakes, ponds and golf courses are the top locations for
lightning-related deaths…and guess what…most golf courses also have lakes
and ponds. Golf courses also have people wandering around in the open
carrying bags of steel shafted clubs, which also act as "miniature
lightning rods".
This is a recipe for disaster.
According to the US National Weather Service, there are 100
lightning-related deaths in the US each year, which represents only 10% of
people struck. The other 90% don’t die, but suffer some form of permanent
disability. Thus, 1,000 people get struck by lightning per year in the
US…and that is country with highly advanced weather warning systems.
Here’s a few more interesting statistics: The earth gets hit on an
average of 100 times per second, or 8.6 million times per day. In other
words, there’s always some place of the planet getting hit every minute of
every day.
A lightning bolt can carry 100 million volts of electricity and reach
temperatures of 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
Most golf clubs have a warning system to alert players to weather
emergencies. It is usually a siren, horn or the like. Sometimes, it is
simply a marshal running around the course, but regardless of what system
is used, if a marshal gives you an instruction to clear the course, do not
argue with him. He is trying to save your life.
However, there are times when you will be at a course which does not
have a warning system, therefore, you must take steps to protect yourself.
Rule # 1 – Hear thunder…begin to move towards shelter.
If you can hear the thunderclap you are within "striking range" of a
lightning bolt. What most people do not realise is that lightning can
travel 18 kilometres horizontally before striking ground. Many
lighting-related deaths happen occur under what appears to be clear blue
skies…literally, a "shot out of the blue".
Rule # 2 - See lightning, run like hell.
If you see lightning, you are definitely in the danger zone. Therefore,
your options are rather limited…you have a choice of running like hell for
a Kiosk, or running like hell for the trees.
Rule # 3 –Stay away from open areas where you would be the highest
thing around. Get to a shelter, kiosk or even better, the clubhouse.
Rule # 4 – Avoid lone trees. A single tree in the middle of the fairway
is dangerous. If you have no choice, get deep into an area of many
trees…its not really safe, but it lessens the odds that the tree you pick
to hide under gets hit.
Rule # 5 – If you’re stuck in the middle of a hole with no shelter
around, go into a bunker and crouch down. Do not lie down. You want as
little of your body touching the ground as possible.
Rule # 6 – If you feel the hair on your arms or neck standing up, it
means you are about to get hit. If that happens move fast. Dive for the
trees or into a bunker.
Rule # 7 – Golf is a great game, but not worth dying for. Remember
there’s cold beer in the clubhouse and probably a good sporting event on
TV. Better to go and wait until the storm passes.
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