MAY 2017 | Hayley Manning

WHEN ATHOL and Doreen Smith of Deloraine packed their caravan for another winter escape around the mainland, the last thing on their mind was safeguarding their house against a lightning strike.

Enjoying a well-earned retirement, the couple quite often went on travels so they had a set routine to prepare their home for a long absence.

But they never dreamed the novelty weather vane they had attached to their shed roof would cause them so much grief.

The half metre high weather vane, with a little airplane that flew around in the breeze, was the first point of contact for the lightning strike.

It then continued on its path of destruction looking for a way to earth out.

The holiday couple had an inkling something had happened to the power at home when a friend tried to turn on the hot water before they returned but they assumed it was simply a blown fuse.

They realised something more serious had happened when they arrived home and found they couldn’t open the roller door into the shed.

The next morning, with no electricity to the house, the couple breakfasted in their caravan while they waited for an electrician.

There was a hole in the roof, the meter box was black and the hot water service element, air-compressor and bench grinder were fried.

The weather vane and its little airplane were blown to bits.

“I am still finding pieces of it around the garden,” Athol said with good humour.

Understandably, Doreen was more concerned about the loss of everything in the freezer, including tubs of their home grown berries which they had been looking forward to eating.

“I had stacked the berries into the freezer - some sideways to make them fit – so we came home to find the entire kitchen floor covered in melted juice,” she said.

Athol and Doreen know the exact time lightning struck because it also hit a nearby Roberts store, setting off alarms and shutting down the landline phones and fax machine.

To play it safe, Athol has installed an earth wire from the shed roof down to a rod, sending any future lightning bolts to ground.

This is a wise move, according to Doug Franklin of Thompson Lightning Protection, who says: “If your home has been hit before, you could be at risk”.

Mance Electrical suggests unplugging all your sensitive electronic equipment such as a computer, stereo, microwave, television, and washing machine in the event of a lightning storm.

The weather bureau recommends closing all doors and windows and staying indoors, if at all possible.

Athol said he would like to warn homeowners to think twice about attaching any objects to their roof and he also urges people to check their home insurance policies.

“Some insurance providers won’t process a claim if the property has been unoccupied for longer than sixty days,” he said.

And you never know when lightning will strike!

Photo | Attribution licence:  Creative Commons 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0) Photo by : John Fowler