Lightning is an electrical discharge that can carry millions of volts in a single strike. The electrical discharge can be cloud to cloud, within a cloud, or cloud to ground.
A lightning strike to a structure or vehicle can cause a fire or explosion. A lightning strike to a human being or animal can cause serious injury or death.
Pop-up tent campers do not provide adequate protection from lightning, because they are made of a soft-sided cloth material that does not keep out the lightning strike and that might catch fire if struck by lightning. Pop-up campers fall into the same unsafe category as convertibles, open-shelled outdoor recreational vehicles, bicycles, motorcycles, and cars with fiberglass or plastic roofs and/or sides.
During a thunderstorm, do not remain in your pop-up tent camper. The safest shelter is a fully enclosed structure of wood or metal, such as the bath house of an RV park. The second-safest shelter is a vehicle that is metal on all four sides and has a metal roof.
If someone suffers a lightning strike, immediately call 911, then administer first aid. If there is no pulse, administer CPR. If breathing has ceased, administer mouth-to-mouth.
