European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 6, 1978, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Dail Magazine a a what do you know about lightning by Louise Cook associated press y the time you finish Reading this sentence lightning will have struck the Earth s surface More than 100 times. Summertime says the . Weather Bureau is lightning  on the average lightning kills More people every year than either Hurri canes or Tornado annual property damage tops $100 million. The National oceanic and atmospheric administration says that lightning hits the Earth 100 times a second there Are 1,800 thunderstorms in Progress at any Given moment. Michael Mogil of the National weather service said about 100 persons Are reported killed in the United states by lightning each year but he estimated that the actual death toll is about double that. Several factors make it hard to pinpoint the number of deaths caused by lightning. The weather service said Mogil relies on newspaper reports for its statistics and some deaths simply Don t make the papers. Other deaths caused by lightning May be attributed to something else. If for example someone Dies in a fire started by lightning the fire and not the lightning will probably be listed As the cause of death. Mogil said most of the deaths Are avoidable. Common sense could Cut the death and injury toll substantially he said. One problem Mogil said is that people Don t feel sufficiently  just As they ignore Hurri Cane warnings they ignore the danger signs of an approaching thunderstorm. Joggers for example Are reluctant to Stop their exer Cise. The rain feels Nice and Cool. They continue running. And they May run into trouble. So far this year Mogil said two people have been struck by lightning while jog Ging one died. Lightning occurs during thunderstorms which Are caused by warm moist air rising into cold air above. A is photo by Jim Cole during a thunderstorm it s a big mistake of seek shelter in Woods along the fops of Hills Sivicek lightning tends to strike there As this photo of a violent storm in Germany shows. Flow of electrical current can travel from Cloud to Cloud from Cloud to ground or where High structures Are involved from ground to Cloud. A number of myths have grown up about lightning and failure to separate fact from fantasy could be fatal. It is fact for example that you Are fairly Safe inside your Home As Long As the doors and windows Are closed. Most deaths and injuries occur outdoors almost half of All people killed by lightning Are engaged in outdoor recreation. Eighty percent of those killed Are male apparently because men and boys Are outside More often u is fantasy in contrast to rely on rubber Soled shoes to protect you. Lightning can carry a charge of up to 100 million volts. The rubber sole said Mogil is insignificant As an  it is also fantasy to believe that lightning never strikes twice. That s dead wrong said de Weigel of the National weather service noting that the Empire state building in new York is a frequent target. The conditions that attract the lightning Bolt the first time will attract it again. A giant thunderstorm can develop in As Little As 30 min utes. It s time to Start protecting yourself when you see the Clouds gathering. As a general Rule you should avoid High places Metal and water. Among specific safely guidelines Elf you Are outside seek shelter in a House or other Large building. Steer Clear of Sheds or Small buildings in isolated areas. Elf you can t reach a building get in your car. Assuming that the car is not a convertible it will act As a Cage to protect you. The Metal picks up the lightning con ducts it around you and into the ground. Stay in the car. Keep windows doors and Sun roof shut. Do not stand under a tall tree. Alvo worst thing that people do is find themselves a big natural Leafy umbrella Weigel said. If lightning strikes electricity can run Down the trunk through the roots into the ground and from there into your body. Y to find a Low area. Avoid Hill tops. If you Are in the Woods look for a spot with Small Trees. Golfers should get rid of clubs which could attract lightning. Away from the water. Get to Shore if at All Possi ble. Get rid of your fishing pole. Of you Are Riding a bicycle motorcycle or tractor get off. The rubber tires won t protect you. Of you Are caught in a Flat open Field Bend Down and put your hands on your Knees. Do not lie Down. The idea said Weigel is to present As Low a profile As pos sible while maintaining minimum Contact with the ground. If you Are inside close windows and doors. Lightning can strike through an open window. Stay away from Large appliances. Don t take a Bath. The Bathtub is Metal and electricity striking the plumbing system can be conducted into the tub and through the water. T talk on the Telephone unless it s absolutely Neces sary. Electricity can travel through Telephone wires. Effing a Fine on maps by Nancy Kercheval associated press he mapmaker no longer is the Little old Man his nose to a drafting Board. He s now Reading computer printouts and changing Boundary lines by altering information in a data Bank. The technological developments Are unbelievable said Arthur h. Robinson a 63-year-old cartography professor at the University of Wisconsin. If you had put a Man in a deep freeze 25 years ago and then put him in a drafting room today he would t even know where he was. It s a revolutionary period and 1 can t even predict what will happen in the next 10 years. We Don t worry about the political problems which change boundaries. We just change the lines. The problem is managing All the technical aspects. Data incoming in by  the need for detailed maps has grown rapidly since world War ii said Robinson who worked for the map division of the office of strategic services in 1941. Maps Are used by Banks to determine if Loans should be made to underdeveloped countries. Banks also require maps to make sure Loans Are not approved for flood prone lands governments use maps to watch population Pat terns determine the Quality of cropland Check on the availability of water resources and install under ground lines. Urban mapping is extremely critical for cities Rob Inson said. You have to work closely with tolerances and show where boundaries Are arid where to dig. There s no question about government being the biggest consume  they re also important to keep a record of what was put where underground added Joseph w. Wiedel who is experimenting with maps for the Blind and Handi capped. In addition Wiedel said cartographers must keep up with areas which need to be charted As they become important. Take offshore drilling he said. These areas were not important but now they must be mapped quickly. They used to be like the Middle of the  Robinson said the Cost of maps is becoming a major expense for governments but added we re relatively cheap. I Don t know what the Navy pays for a battleship but it would probably pay for All the mapping in the United states in a  Robinson the author of elements of cartography a Basic textbook on map making which is used worldwide. And Wiedel were among 550 participants from 44 coun tries at the recent International cartographic conference held at the University of Maryland at College Park my. The third world countries in particular have shown a recent interest in maps. There Are resources and things they must learn to manage Wiedel said. Both men said they find the rapid Pace of their profession astonishing. The More we scratch the surface the More that comes out Wiedel said. He added however that the Field is becoming so Exten Sive that cartographers must specialize to a Point where they seem to know a lot about nothing. Well be students the rest of our  there s no Way to keep up with literature. And that s what really scares me about the future Rob Inson said. We have to find a Way to insert the information into Peoples  Robinson speculated that in the next decade or so a satellite hanging on a sky Hook will allow someone to watch an animated map which shows everything that is going on at the moment. Wednesday september 6, 1978 the stars and stripes Page 13