Controversy

The season of controversy in the southern U.S. - its thunderstorms and mystery and much of what makes both interesting, also makes them dangerous. "In the USA civilian sector, lightning causes losses of $4-$5 billion per year (NLSI, 1999). In the government sector, the military (DDESB - Department of Defense Explosive Safety Board) has reported 88 identifiable lightning induced munitions explosions with costs and deaths not calculated. DDESB was formed as a result of the July 1926 Picatinny Arsenal incident, which killed 14 people and cost $70 million. The US Department of Energy (DOE) has reported 346 known lightning events to its facilities during the 1990-2000 period." [NLSI]