Call SERVPRO of Ames After Damage From Lightning

11/18/2020 (Permalink)

Know the danger that lightning poses to your property.

The dramatic view of lightning streaking across the sky is quintessential to thunderstorms, but it also represents extreme danger. Lightning can often cause severe injuries and damage to property when it strikes, which is why it is essential to know the dangers it presents to your home.

Information About Lightning

All thunderstorms develop an electrical charge, and thunder and lightning are the results of this. What our eyes perceive as a lightning bolt is the storm shooting off some of its electrical charge, which is manifested as a strike.

Clouds are well-insulated for electrical charge, which is why so many lightning strikes arc across the sky. When lightning strikes toward the ground instead, that’s when property damage can happen.

Three Types of Lightning Damage to Property

1. Fire damage. Lightning reaches temperatures around 500,000 degrees, making it hot enough to ignite buildings on impact. As it travels through a home’s wires, damage can also be caused inside the walls, raising the potential for electrical fires in the future. An electrician or the local fire department can often test for hot spots and assess the damage.
2. Electrical damage. Lightning has more electrical charge than most electronics are equipped to handle, so lightning traveling through wires can easily move up cables and ruin appliances. Surge protectors are the common defense against this.
3. Structural damage. The thunder we hear when lightning strikes across the sky is a result of shock waves created by the force. This force is still present when lightning strikes the ground, and can sometimes even shatter windows, explode foundations and crack chimneys. A thorough home inspection after the storm passes is useful in assessing the damage.

If you live in Huxley, Maxwell, Story City, Cambridge or anywhere in Boone or Story County and your home has been affected by storm damage or lightning-related fires, call SERVPRO of Ames! We are experts in damage cleanup and can restore your damage quickly.