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SUNNY Temp: 60 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Thursday, August 28, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine Joy Magazine Tempo A & E RogueValleyAutoFinder RogueValleyHomeFinder Real Estate Showcase Wellness Connection Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Employment Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend August 8, 2003 uan Torrez of John�s Pruning Service cuts the limbs off a damaged 60-foot American sweetgum tree in Ashland. On Shirley Boyce�s Bridge Street property, the tree was struck by lightning Wednesday evening and split in half for part of its length. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Storm turned on kitchen appliances, fried phones and split or felled trees By ANITA BURKE Mail Tribune Shirley Boyce was watching television at her Bridge Street home in Ashland Wednesday night, when nature staged a dramatic show in her backyard. A bolt of lightning cracked through the heart of a towering American sweetgum tree, opening a 40-foot split in the trunk, but leaving the treetop intact. "We heard just one big boom like a sonic boom," Boyce said. "The tree was split right down the middle. It was pretty astounding to look through the tree." Boyce’s roommate, Lizabee Schaefer, was standing in a doorway, looking into the yard and chatting on a cordless phone when the lightning struck. The energy "fried" the phone, rendering it useless, and left Schaefer’s ears ringing, although she wasn’t injured, Boyce said. Advertisement The surge also set Boyce’s coffee grinder to whirring, and she said a neighbor reported a computer was damaged, despite having a surge protector. "It was an incredible explosive force," Boyce said. "It’s the kind of thing you don’t ever want to see again." John’s Pruning Service had crews on the scene early Thursday to remove the 60-foot tree, which was waving dangerously in the wind, Boyce said. Nearly 1,000 lightning strikes recorded across the county during Wednesday’s storms likely sparked many stories of the awesome power of lightning. At Cascade Christian High School in Jacksonville, lightning knocked out an aging phone system. Superintendent Ray Johnson said administrative workers were at the school when the storm started and shut down and unplugged computers to protect them. "We got back (Thursday) morning to find alarms blaring and phones blinking," he said. An employee who lives near the school thought she saw lightning hit the school during the evening’s storms and had checked for fire or other damage, he said. "It either hit the building or right next to it," Johnson said. The phone system, donated by Sterling Business Forms about eight years ago, had been susceptible to damage from static charges from lightning at Sterling, said Dave Schneider, a school volunteer who helps with technology services. Plagued with problems at Sterling, the system had been trouble-free at the school, he said. Johnson said school officials had considered a new system but hoped to wait until after moving into a new building in Medford. For now, the school is making do with a handful of phones plugged into undamaged lines. Still to be decided is whether to buy a new system, with a price tag of around $14,000, or a used one for about $5,000. Reach reporter Anita Burke at 776-4459, or e-mail [email protected] Personal Lightning Safety Tips When you first see lightning or hear thunder, take action. Go to a building or a vehicle. Lightning often precedes rain, so don’t wait for rain to begin before you do something. IF YOU’RE OUTDOORS Avoid water sources (pools, lakes, etc.) Avoid high ground. Avoid open spaces. Avoid all metal objects, including electric wires, fences, machinery, motors, power tools, etc. Unsafe places include underneath canopies, small picnic or rain shelters, or near trees. Where possible, find shelter in a substantial building or in a fully enclosed metal vehicle such as a car, truck or a van with the windows completely shut. If lightning strikes nearby when you are outside, you should: Crouch down. Put your feet together. Place hands over ears to minimize hearing damage from thunder. Keep at least 15 feet from other people. IF YOU’RE INDOORS Avoid water sources. Stay away from doors and windows. Do not use the telephone. Take off headsets. Turn off, unplug, and stay away from appliances, computers, power tools and TV sets. Lightning may strike exterior electric and phone lines, carrying the bolt to inside equipment. Suspend outdoor activities for 30 minutes after the last observed lightning or thunder. If someone is struck by lightning, they are not "electrically charged" and can be handled safely. Apply first aid procedures to a lightning victim if you are qualified to do so. Call 9- 1-1 or send for help immediately. Source: National Lightning Safety Institute Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. 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