Risk of injury and death from lightning in Northern Malawi     

Jonathan Salerno  Lameck Msalu  Tim Caro  Monique Borgerhoff Mulder 《Natural Hazards》2012,62(3):853-862

Rates of lightning mortality in communities on the western shore of Lake Malawi are higher than any other reported rate in the world: 419 strike victims per million people per annum and 84 deaths per million per annum. To document the background to this phenomenon, we conducted comprehensive household interviews with surviving victims and witnesses of every case of lightning strike in seven administrative areas around Nkhata Bay, Malawi. We find that the consequential lightning strikes are significantly more common in the rainy season and during the morning. Among those victims struck by lightning, there is an average ratio of approximately one death to four injuries, which is substantially higher than the commonly accepted ratio of 1:10. Children and adults are at equal risk of being struck. If struck, the probability of death is greater when the victim is outside in the open or outside under cover than indoors under a tin or thatched roof, but is unaffected by different kinds of footwear or whether it is raining. Reported explanations for strikes often center on witchcraft or other forms of social conflict. Our findings extend the study of consequential lightning strikes in the developing world and highlight cultural factors associated with this hazard. We end with recommendations for reducing the risk of lightning for rural populations.  相似文献   

Anomalous circulation patterns associated with 2011 heavy rainfall over northern Tanzania     

Kebacho  Laban Lameck 《Natural Hazards》2021,109(3):2295-2312

Natural Hazards - The socio-economic impacts of floods calls for improved understanding of flood drivers. While the large-scale circulation anomalies associated with rainfall anomalies is a...  相似文献