Lightning Damage Facts

4/23/2018 (Permalink)

Each year lightning damage causes billions of dollars in property damage which results often times in a fire event with total devastation. The damage to buildings, equipment, buildings systems, electronics and vehicles can be extensive. Buildings struck by lightning have construction materials which can easily catch fire, smolder or explode. Residential contents such as AV equipment, appliances, electronics, home computers and stereo equipment can be compromised.

 In a business setting- all business machines and various equipment types can be electrically shorted and mechanical components become fused resulting in premature failure if not instant total loss. Water pumps blower motors, alarm systems and machinery can be compromised.  Building plumbing, HVAC air handlers, heaters and wiring can have extensive damage affecting the operation and control.

Lightning can start a direct fire because the temperature is 90,032°F which is 9 times hotter than the surface of the sun.  It is fast too, at 186,000 miles per second- the speed of light, it can reach distances of over 40 land miles in fractions of a second. Lightning strikes somewhere on earth every second translating to over 31,536,000 occurrences per year.

In the U.S. alone, lighting kills more than a hundred persons and injures many more per year.  The force of lightning occurs in the sky and is explained as a discharge of atmospheric electricity which is triggered by a buildup of differing charges within a cloud. The result is a sudden release of electricity which causes a distinctive bright flare, followed by a thunderclap and to ground lightning strikes. The theories of how the charges react and are created are numerous. Either way the light show in the sky with all the potential for death and damage is a beautiful phenomenon to watch.

SERVPRO Of Mt.Pleasant, Clare and Houghton Lake are here to help repair any damage due to a lightning strike. Call us @ 989-802-9126 one of our representatives is available 24/7.