Of all the displays of nature’s raw power, one of the most beautiful and the most deadly is lightning. Lightning is nature’s own fireworks show. It accounts for an average of 200 deaths and more than 1,000 injuries in the U.S. each year. How can you minimize the chances that you or your property will fall victim to lightning damage?
In an average year, more people in the U.S. are killed by lightning than by floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes combined. The insurance industry estimates that lightning accounts for more than 100 million in property damage each year.
How can you protect yourself or your property from lightning damage?
The first step is to understand what lightning is and the mechanism by which it can damage both people and property. Lightning is a spark caused by the discharge of an accumulated electric charge within a cloud. The discharge may take place within a single cloud, from one cloud to another, or from the ground to a cloud. Very rarely, lightning may occur in clear skies. It was probably this type of lightning which gave rise to the expression “bolt out of the blue.”
How does lightning occur?
Thunderclouds (which are the main generators of lightning) usually carry a positive electric charge in their upper regions. The lower portions of thunderclouds generally carry a negative electric charge. The mechanism by which electric charges are built up in a cloud is not fully understood.
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How To Protect Yourself And Your Home From Lightning
