Lightning Strikes

8/3/2016 (Permalink)

At SERVPRO of Eastern Niagara County, we have cleaned up fire damage caused by lightning strikes.

Lightning strikes the earth's surface about 100 times every second and it can reach temperatures 5 times hotter than the surface of the sun. About 10-20% of those strikes have the potential to cause a fire.

Thunderstorms and lightning strikes can cause quite a bit of damage. We are experts in fire damage cleanup, and we believe in safety first. Below we've provided 3 tips to help prevent fire damage caused by lighting.

1. Avoid using water during a thunderstorm. Taking showers, washing dishes, even washing your hands could put you and the structure you are occupying at danger. Water, especially water that contains minerals can be great for conducting electricity.  Lightning regularly strikes water. Going swimming during a thunderstorm is one of the most dangerous things you can do. 

2. In recent years the cost fire damage cleanup caused by lightning has gone up. This is mainly because the average household owns more electronic equipment. During a thunderstorm be sure to unplug things like computers and televisions. Also, do not use landline phones during a storm. A surge protector is a good idea. They do not always protect against large direct lightning currents. But, the device does attempt to limit the voltage supplied to an electrical device by either blocking or by shorting to ground any unwanted voltages above a safe threshold.

TIP: Check your homeowner's insurance policy. Not all policies cover electronic items lost or damaged during lightning and thunderstorms.

3. Invest in a professionally installed lightning protection system. Lightning rods create a network of low resistance paths for lightning currents to travel. Using them can help you direct the lightning towards the ground and cause less damage to the building structure.

FUN FACT: The Empire State Building is a lightning rod for its surrounding area. It is struck by lightning an average of 23 times per year.

As a trusted leader in the restoration industry, SERVPRO of Eastern Niagara County has highly trained technicians that are dedicated to responding faster to any size disaster. We provide 24-hour emergency service and have trained crews to handle your restoration and cleaning needs. "Like It Never Even Happened"