Protect Your Home From the Threat of Lightning | SERVPRO® of Harlingen/San Benito

9/27/2022 (Permalink)

You likely already know how essential it is to prepare and maintain fire safety supplies in order to protect your loved ones, but even with the best-laid plans, the weather may change everything in an instant.

Lightning was the cause of at least 70,000 damage-related insurance claims in 2020, and it is estimated to strike close to 6,000 times every single minute. This clearly shows that lightning is a high risk we should all do our best to prepare our homes and our lives for.

What is lightning?

A giant spark between the air and the ground is what we know as lightning. Thunderstorms and lightning go hand in hand, but lightning also occurs due to the extreme heat of a forest fire, the heaviness of a snowstorm or the extreme of volcanic eruption.

A sudden bolt of lightning can strike out of dry, sunny skies, too. This phenomenon is known as “dry lightning,” and it creates a dangerous situation as the heat of the strike meets dry grass, trees or other vegetation and starts a wildfire. Lightning is a possibility in every single season, so preparation is key to preventing damages and staying safe.

<h3your-home-from-lightning-fires">Protecting Your Home From Lightning Fires

Lightning can do a lot of damage to a home, and even has the potential to start a fire. A fire from a lightning strike would likely start in your walls or attic, and it can be caused by either the intense heat of the strike itself or an electrical surge that occurs when the strike passes through your home wiring.

A fire may not be immediately detectable, but the sound of the strike will be.

If an incredibly loud noise has shaken your house, look around for signs of burn marks, singeing and smoke. Call the fire department if you do find anything, and check with an electrician to ensure the wiring in your home is safe after the all-clear has been given.

In order to give your home some protection from lightning, consider adding a metal rod, or lightning rod to your roof. This conducts the electricity of a lightning strike into the ground rather than into your house.

A whole-home surge protector is another great preventive tool for your home’s protection. This is added to your main electric panel by an electrician. This kind of surge protection can go a long way in reducing the risk that a strike will cause a surge that could kill your appliances and spark a fire.

<h3lightning-strikes-nearby">When Lightning Strikes Nearby

Every year, approximately 9,000 wildfires are the result of a lightning strike. The intensely high heat of lightning means that these fires move fast and threaten a great deal of land once they are burning. Regardless of the time of year, a dry season means a high risk.

Make sure your landscaping stays free of vegetation that is dead or dying, and think about using defensible zones in your yard to protect your home by diverting fire away when lightning does strike nearby.

Make sure every level of your house has a working smoke detector so you and your family are alerted as fast as possible.

If you do have fire damage, call SERVPRO at any time, day or night. We are ready to take on every part of the restoration process with industry-leading equipment and extensive experience. It is our goal to get you back to life as normal.

Have you experienced smoke or fire damage in your home? Call us today to get the restoration finished fast.