The myth that people struck by lightning carry an electrical charge and should not be touched, has mostly gone away. People seriously injured by lightning, although obviously alive, typically are in less danger than those who seem to be dead because their cardiopulmonary systems have been temporarily short-circuited. The latter victims can often be revived by immediate application of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. In the property loss arena, one study indicated that 1 out of every 57 lightning bolts results in an insurance claim. Almost a third of electrical power outages are lightning related.
Lightning starts the vast majority of forest fires.
This has been a very unusual year for fruit pests. Because of the light fruit crop there are a lot of predators around to consume a lot of the aphids seen on fruit trees. It is recommended that no pesticide be applied to any of the trees that have a high population of aphids. The number of lady beetles that are visible in the orchards is surprising. Many farmers are using lady beetles and are quite satisfied with the results that they are getting.