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Lightening Strike!

Yikes Jenn, that's crazy! I've felt like lightning has crashed down right beside the house before, which is alarming enough, but nothing like that!
 
Tree City said:
It hit your neighbor's home, too??? Yikes!

We have a whole-home surge suppressor. It's supposed to help protect your house against incoming surges, but IDK if it would work against something already IN your home? :(
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I am honestly so clueless about all of it - I don't know either. I'm just glad it is over and gone ... :)
 
I'm so glad to hear that it wasn't worse, and all are ok! How scary!

It does sound like a lightning strike, and a surge of energy. Other items might be fried, so go check out other electronics that are plugged in - garage doors, extra freezers, appliances, electronic devices, etc. If the damages are extensive to your electronics, call your insurance. From your story it sounds like a covered claim, and you could be eligible for reimbursement of the items damaged. (I used to be a homeowners claim adjuster years ago.)
 
@jenn mccabe So glad everyone is okay. The same thing happened to a dear friend a few months ago. The lightening struck the copper buried in her yard for her sprinkling system. It ended up burning a hole in the garage wall and blew out the garage windows. It also fried every socket in the house that wasn't grounded.

I'm so paranoid about surges that I always unplug my computer (you see what's really important to me) when it's raining outside. I hate it when it rains while I'm at work and can't unplug. Paranoid, I know. I hope you're able to get things back to the way they were quickly. Maybe you can talk DH into a tv upgrade. :D
 
jk703 said:
(I used to be a homeowners claim adjuster years ago.)
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I didn't know you were in insurance. I was a litigation adjuster for over a decade handling severe bodily injuries from MVAs mainly. I never did HOA policies, but I now am an IT Administrator for an insurance company. Funny how it comes around.
 
That's so scary!!! Glad you're all okay! We always turn off all of the electronics when it's lightning like crazy and I won't let the girls shower. I can be a little paranoid at times though LOL!

When we lived in Flagstaff the neighbors across the street had a huge pine tree in their yard that was struck, loudest noise I had ever heard!
 
Oh No!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is scary. Glad you all are ok. :eek::eek:
 
We had our cable box in the yard (where the company could hook us up for Cable/Internet) struck by lightning once, years ago. The water main ran right by the cable box, evidently, so we had a major surge come in thru both the cable line and the water line. We lost our TiVo, DVD player, modem, and router, an extra tv upstairs that was just plugged straight into the wall, a couple of lamps blew their lightbulbs, some fuses in the fuse box flipped and (the strangest one) an automatic shower cleaner that hung from the shower faucet blew as well. Plus, all the kids' toys that were electronic started talking/playing at the same time. I swear the whole house shook! It was crazy! Now, we have a whole house surge protector, as well as a bunch of the outlets that are for near water (they will flip off instead of blowing a fuse or burning out whatever is plugged into them) Also, each (desktop) computer has an individual battery backup/surge protection unit that is plugged between the computer and the wall outlet. The laptops/tablets and phones I try to make sure and unplug when we have a storm.
Also, a couple of years ago I am SURE our car was either struck or right next to where lightning struck. We were going to take photos of my older daughter and her friends for her 13th birthday when a crazy storm blew in. We were sitting in the car hoping it would pass, when there was this HUGE flash of light right as the whole car shook and there was a very strong smell of ozone. All of our hair stood on end for a few seconds which seemed to last forever. The thunder rolled at the very same time as the bright flash. We didn't get out of the car, instead as soon as I could safely drive we headed back home!
 
londoncuppa said:
@jenn mccabe
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I'm so paranoid about surges that I always unplug my computer (you see what's really important to me) when it's raining outside. I hate it when it rains while I'm at work and can't unplug. Paranoid, I know.
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That's not paranoid. It's why I really pushed DH to get us a surge suppressor. It doesn't stop a surge but it's supposed to stop it from frying anything plugged in. Of course it wouldn't have helped Jenn with lightning IN her home but maybe it'll help you feel a bit better when you're at work? Even as a SAHM I like knowing we've got a little bit of protection.
 
So strange to read this today we were just reading facts on the year my father in law was born and this one stuck out to us. Then I read what happened to you.!!

Unfortuately, a single bolt of lightning struck and killed 654 sheep in their tracks on July 22, 1918.

Sheep often herd together in storms and as a result the shock from the lightning bolt passed from one animal to another.
 
Glad everything is okay. Lightening is crazy stuff.
 
My parents had that same thing. I think they were told that it is "ball lightning". It destroyed so many things in their house!
 
Too close for comfort!!!

Last year we were having a big thunder storm vs the normal Seattle drizzle. DH had just returned from the store and decided to stay in the car in the driveway for a bit to avoid the torrential rain. Kaboom, the lightning struck the transformer in the alley about 10 feet from where he was sitting. It took out all the electricity in a 10 block radius. He counts his lucky stars that he decided to sit it out. The surge protectors did seem to keep our devices from frying. @Tree City
 
Yikes that would have been scary! I do love the feeling you get when lightning strikes nearby and your skin feels electrified and your mouth is awash with the ozone taste BUT its not so nice when its too close! Glad to hear hubby didn't get a bigger shock!
 
Iowan said:
Last year we were having a big thunder storm vs the normal Seattle drizzle. DH had just returned from the store and decided to stay in the car in the driveway for a bit to avoid the torrential rain. Kaboom, the lightning struck the transformer in the alley about 10 feet from where he was sitting. It took out all the electricity in a 10 block radius. He counts his lucky stars that he decided to sit it out. The surge protectors did seem to keep our devices from frying. @Tree City
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YIKES!
 
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