AfricaPress-Tanzania: BUKOBA District Commissioner (DC) Deodatus Kinawiro has directed authorities in Bukoba District Council to set aside funds for installing lightning arresters in public buildings often struck by lightning.
He issued the directive following a recent incident that happened at Kalema Primary School in Bukoba Rural District where 22 pupils were injured by lightning during class. However, nobody died.
Mr Kinawiro commended the Bukoba Municipal Council for installing lightning arresters in some public buildings.
“Most people in Kagera Region believe that lightning never strikes the same place twice. This belief has been around so long. It has been turned into a popular idiom. It’s simply not true. Lightning can strike multiple times in the same place, especially if that place is really tallest,” he said.
About 14 people were killed in Kagera Region between 2010 and August 15, last year, after they were struck by lightning. Last year, lightning struck near Kimuli Secondary School in Kyerwa District, killing two students and injuring at least eight others.
On June 9, 2015 six people all from the same family, died on the spot when their house was struck by lightning at Kihinga Village in Kaisho/Murongo Division, Kyerwa District.
If you’re riding in a car during a thunderstorm, don’t lean on the doors as they contain parts that can draw in electricity from outside the vehicle. Some people also have the myth that if it’s not raining or there aren’t clouds overhead, you’re safe from lightning.
The fact is that the most important thing people should know is that if they hear thunder, they are within a striking distance of lightning and most people misjudge how far they are away from a storm.
