Global Lightning Safety Advocacy Programs: Mechanisms, Challenges, and Preventive Strategies

Lightning strikes present a risk, resulting in deaths and injuries annually. Lightning injuries, like electrical injuries, can have brain injury and chronic pain, but unlike electrical injuries, lightning injuries do not have major burns or amputations. This study is divided into two stages. The first stage presents the mechanisms of lightning injuries, including 1) direct strike, 2) touch voltage, 3) side flash, 4) step voltage, 5) upward unconnected leader (UUL), and 6) trauma associated with the air expansion near the lightning channel. The second stage of the study is dedicated to presenting the main results of lightning safety advocacy programs, which combine engineering components, such as the protection of structures against lightning (LPS) and thunderstorm warning systems, with behavioral actions, such as training, alerts, the creation of councils, and governmental policies. The 2011 Runyanya Primary School tragedy in Uganda, where a lightning strike killed 18 students and injured 38, led to the establishment of International Lightning Safety Day (ILSD, 28 June), highlighting the need for global awareness. This study also proposes ways for government involvement, especially in developing countries, to improve lightning prevention and protection, emphasizing the importance of integrated and multidisciplinary approaches.