I tell you true: bullshit.
Just after 2:00 am Central on 16-May, our house was either struck by lightning, or the strike was so close that the internal wiring harness took a huge surge. I was up reading, and heard the storm growing. Checked the kids, both sleeping soundly, and decided to go out on our back deck, which is covered, to watch a bit. I had opened the back door, my left hand still on the knob, and was about to open the storm door when the world flashed white, followed (mere microseconds later) by a massively loud, crackling SNAP. It was all over in less than a second; I blinked my eyes to recover my sight. My left hand felt lightly itchy, though I ignored it. I heard an ululating beep, figured it must be the hard-wired smoke detectors, but it stopped before I could be certain. (I didn't imagine it because Val heard it too, the strike and beep had awakened her, which is rare.) The kids kept on sleeping, thankfully. I got the big flashlight in case we lost power -- and about ten minutes later, we did, for a very short time (a minute or two). The rain came down in bucketsful, about two inches deep in the front yard depression outside the front door.
I went to turn on the big TV to see the local weather... and got nothing but a hysteresis blur. I knew what that meant -- we'd taken the surge and were sure to have several electronics pieces ruined.
The bit about striking twice? We had the same thing happen (while we were not at home) in 2001. A lightning strike or surge, home electronics burned out all over the house. This time wasn't as bad, but we still took plenty of damage. I haven't inventoried everything yet, but both televisions are toast, both DVD players, the good stereo receiver, the cable modem (already replaced, which is how I'm posting this), and it looks like the wireless modem is dead as well. Later today I'll finish assessing the desktop computer array and the home entertainment speakers. Worst, though, is that the central air conditioning was knocked out -- just like last time, a control board got baked. Repair on that won't be complete until Thursday morning, but luckily it's been a very nice night so we have the windows open, and it's not stuffy or miserable. And, good news, our new Yamaha digital piano came through intact. (And yes, most items were plugged in through surge-protective power strips. I suspect the surge came through the cable television lines.)
Finally among the damage, the bathroom mirror. This is where I first noticed evidence of the 2001 strike -- the grounding in the back bathroom is incomplete, and when the first strike occurred it partly grounded itself out of studs and into the mirror. I went in to brush my teeth and noticed a coppery blot about the size of a golf ball just above the sink, and also found some of the reflective backing melted behind the faceplate of the electrical outlet. This time, the blot grew to the size of a grapefruit, and the mirror fractured around the outlet. So it'll get replaced for certain, and we'll probably have the wiring checked and repaired while we're at it.
The mirror crack'd.
The darker, central blot is from 2001, the expanded corona from 2007.I showed the mirror to the kids when they awoke, pointing out that thunder is scary, but it's the lightning that can cause the damage. Carson (now 2 1/4) interpreted my description as though the mirror had been smashed by Lightning McQueen.
This is a major pain in the ass, though insurance will cover some of it. Partly, though, I'm looking forward to replacing some old stuff and being forced into re-doing the office desktop setup, plus having the chance to vacuum up lots of dusty nooks otherwise inaccessible. And we'll look into getting lightning rods installed.
And I'm certain that my hand, by being on the metal doorknob when the bolt hit wherever, got a kiss of electrons, probably coupled in by the immediate e-field, so I'll never fear mere static again. I've held the lightning.
Two strikes in six years -- I figure we must now be waaaaay out into the far end of the probability curve, and a third strike would be inconceivable.
But if we do get hit again -- screw it, we're moving.
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