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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise

Turns out this is ‘Lightning Safety Awareness Week’ - really

Lightning storms pose a serious risk to people outdoors within earshot of the thunder. (Shawn Raecke / Idaho Statesman)
Lightning storms pose a serious risk to people outdoors within earshot of the thunder. (Shawn Raecke / Idaho Statesman)

Would you believe that this is Lightning Safety Awareness Week? Really. It runs from June 19-25. In observance of the annual week, the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety is urging attention to surge protectors and grounding, saying lightning strikes are responsible for 5 percent of all insured property losses annually and caused $1 billion in insured losses in 2010. Meanwhile, the National Weather Service in Lincoln, has put up a special web page about lightning risks, saying lightning killed an average of 55 people a year in the last 30 years.



Betsy Z. Russell
Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

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