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Angel
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| Posted: July 19 2007 at 11:49am | IP Logged
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This may be sort of an odd question, but... can anyone tell me the actual safety rules regarding being in an indoor swimming pool during a thunderstorm? As in, should you be swimming in an indoor pool in a gym while it's storming outside?
--Angela
Three Plus Two
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juststartn
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| Posted: July 19 2007 at 12:46pm | IP Logged
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No. The Y here cancels swimming lessons where my dds take lessons, when there is thunder and lightning (as I well know because they have canceled lessons before for this reason). And this is at an indoor pool.
Rachel
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Married DH 4/1/95
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Ava Maria, in the arms of Jesus, 9/5/08
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insegnante
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| Posted: July 19 2007 at 12:54pm | IP Logged
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I was surprised to learn not all that long ago that people should also avoid taking baths and showers when there is thunder and lightning. Even washing dishes and doing laundry are cited as risks at the following link: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/health/281449_hrail17.html It says, "There is no real risk unless you touch something connected to plumbing, electrical wiring or another conducting path."
Theresa
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PDyer
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| Posted: July 19 2007 at 1:01pm | IP Logged
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The walls around our local indoor pool include a lot of glass, so management has a policy of closing the pool for 20 minutes after lightning or thunder. We visited another pool recently for a swim meet. That pool had no glass around it, and the meet continued during a storm.
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Patty
Mom of ds (7/96) and dd (9/01) and two angels (8/95 and 6/08)
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insegnante
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| Posted: July 19 2007 at 1:15pm | IP Logged
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Here's another lightning safety link from the government's National Severe Storms Laboratory: http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/edu/safety/lightning.html This one even tells you to avoid washing your hands! And I've read in more than one place not to consider things safe for 30 minutes after the last thunder heard or lightning seen.
We have thunderstorms around here (Northern Virginia) quite frequently at this time of year. I am using a battery-powered laptop in anticipation of the ones forecasted for this afternoon.
Theresa
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Angel
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| Posted: July 19 2007 at 3:10pm | IP Logged
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Ok, that's what I thought! But when I called the gym (a 30 minute drive from our house) to ask about weather conditions and swim lessons, the woman on the phone acted like I was a moron and told me that thunderstorms don't affect their swimming lessons. I have a tendency to be a little weather phobic and was raised by a mother who was a bit paranoid about everything, so I thought I would do a reality check.
Of course at a soccer game the other day they didn't call the kids off the field even though a storm got pretty close... I guess maybe people in this area of the country (upstate NY) are just a little less worried about storms than I am (I've lived most of my life in the South and Midwest)?
--Angela
Three Plus Two
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hylabrook1
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| Posted: July 19 2007 at 4:02pm | IP Logged
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DS, the lifeguard, just told me that some indoor pools are *grounded* so that they are safe even in an electric storm. If the pool has various pipes or wires that run outside of the building and are not grounded, the electricity could travel along those into the pool, so the pool needs to be cleared in the event of thunder or lightning. (I'm not entirely certain what all that means, I'm just passing along what he said when I asked the question.) 
Peace,
Nancy
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Matilda
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| Posted: July 19 2007 at 7:23pm | IP Logged
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I second Hylabrook's son. My kids took swim lessons at an indoor pool during the spring once and I had to ask too. They said that their pool was grounded and totally safe otherwise their insurance wouldn't let them continue with lessons! It has always been my understanding that the danger of taking a bath or shower has to do with the metal plumbing surrounding you. I would get confirmation that the pool is grounded from a manager.
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Charlotte (Matilda)
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Angel
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| Posted: July 22 2007 at 1:57pm | IP Logged
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Thanks for all the info. I have no idea if this particular pool is grounded or not and will ask. It can be a little exasperating trying to gather information (in general) in our geographical area... no one seems to want to volunteer anything and you have to know all the appropriate questions to ask in the first place. So if you're clueless... 
--Angela
Three Plus Two
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Topic: thunderstorms and indoor pools
