Lightning strikes happen more often than you think and can leave your home and its contents with costly damage.
In some cases, it can be hard to tell if lightning was the cause of appliance failure. Look for burn marks, damage to more than one electrical device, or popped circuit breakers or fuses. The insurance appraiser will also inspect thoroughly to try to determine the cause of loss.
Damage to your home and its contents by lightning strike is normally covered by homeowners insurance. Should a loss occur, there are a few things to consider.
- If, after a lightning storm, some electronics no longer work, test all major appliances (such as the dryer) and home systems (A/C, water heater, etc.) to see if they were affected. You should include all damaged items on your insurance claim report.
- If you have no electricity in your home but your neighbor’s power isn’t affected, call the power company. If the company says there is no outage, consider the services of an electrician to determine the cause.
- Take pictures and/or video of any noticeable damage to your home and of all damaged items before discarding anything. Your claims adjustor may need those.
