FLORENCE, Ala. — Authorities in Florence said a man who was killed by lightning Monday, is identified as Marquin Russell, 28.
According to a statement from the Florence Police Department, Russell was an employee of the Florence Industrial Park, located at 3155 Kendall Drive.
Russell was struck by lightning Monday afternoon, as storms passed through the area.
Although no place outside is safe during a thunderstorm, you can minimize your risk.
- Be aware.
Check the weather forecast before participating in outdoor activities. If the forecast calls for thunderstorms, postpone your trip or activity, or make sure suitable safe shelter is readily available. - Go indoors.
Remember the phrase, “When thunder roars, go indoors.” Find a safe, enclosed shelter when you hear thunder. Safe shelters include homes, offices, shopping centers, and hard-top vehicles with the windows rolled up. - Seek shelter immediately, even if caught out in the open.
If you are caught in an open area, act quickly to find shelter. The most important action is to remove yourself from danger. Crouching or getting low to the ground can reduce your chances of being struck, but it does not remove you from danger. - If you are caught outside with no safe shelter nearby, the following actions might reduce your risk of being struck by lightning:
- Immediately get off elevated areas such as hills, mountain ridges, or peaks.
- Never lie flat on the ground. Crouch down in a ball-like position with your head tucked and hands over your ears so that you are down low with minimal contact with the ground.
- Never shelter under an isolated tree. If you are in a forest, shelter near lower trees.
- Never use a cliff or rocky overhang for shelter.
- Immediately get out of and away from ponds, lakes, and other bodies of water.
- Stay away from objects that conduct electricity (such as barbed wire fences, power lines, or windmills).
