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2015 Lightning Deaths Have Almost Passed All of 2014, All of 2013

Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.
The Florida Channel
Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.

As of August first, 22 people have died from lightning strikes in the United States – that’s double the average number of deaths over the past five years. The National Weather Service says three of them were in Florida. Two men were working on rooftops. One was walking. With Florida being the lightning capital of the U.S. we take a look at the possible reasons for the increase in deaths this year, lightning myths – such as rubber tires are not why you’re safe in a car - and how to protect yourself

Guests:

Gerald Campbell - Emergency Manager for Florida Gulf Coast University. Formerly- Lee County EOC Planning Chief

Jeff Huffman- Florida Public Radio Emergency Network (FPREN) meteorologist.

Copyright 2020 WGCU. To see more, visit WGCU.

Amy Tardif is WGCU’s FM Station Manager and News Director. She oversees a staff of 10 full and part-time people and interns in news, production and the radio reading service. Her program Lucia's Letter on human trafficking received a coveted Peabody Award, an Edward R. Murrow Award, a gold medal from the New York Festivals and 1 st place for Best Documentary from the Public Radio News Directors Inc. She was the first woman in radio to Chair RTDNA, having previously served as Chair-Elect and the Region 13 representative on its Board of Directors for which she helped write an e-book on plagiarism and fabrication. She also serves on the FPBS Board of Directors and served on the PRNDI Board of Directors from 2007 -2012. Tardif has been selected twice to serve as a managing editor for NPR's Next Generation Radio Project. She served on the Editorial Integrity for Public Media Project helping to write the section on employee's activities beyond their public media work. She was the producer and host of Gulf Coast Live Arts Editionfor 8 years and spent 14 years asWGCU’slocal host of NPR's Morning Edition. Amy spent five years as producer and managing editor ofWGCU-TV’sformer monthly environmental documentary programs In Focus on the Environmentand Earth Edition.Prior to joiningWGCUPublic Media in 1993, she was the spokesperson for the Fort Myers Police Department, spent 6 years reporting and anchoring for television stations in Fort Myers and Austin, Minnesota and reported forWUSFPublic Radio in Tampa. Amy has two sons in college and loves fencing, performing in local theater and horseback riding.