Did You Know You Could Lose Your Computer from Lightning?

Did you know you could lose your computer from lightning? I did not know it was possible till it happened to me 3 years ago. It was during a terrible storm with lots of wind, rain, thunder, and lightning. Suddenly, bolt of lightning came through the phone line and zapped my computer--which thankfully I was not using at the time. We saw a bright light, heard the crackle zap and sizzle sound, and then smelled an electrical burning scent coming from the computer. (We had a surge protector which was suppose to protect our computer but it didn't work--it was the cheap kind.)

When we tried to turn on the computer it would not turn on. I took it to a computer place and they said it was fried due to a high electrical surge, such as due to lightning and would cost a lot to repair, they recommended we buy a new computer. I needed to get this written repair quote for our home insurance which in the end they only gave us $300.00 for because the computer was 5 years old.

Since then, my neighbors up the street lost their computer due to a lightning strike, our other friend in Leilani Estates got their computer fried from lightning, and another friend told me of 3 other people she knew on the Big Island that lost their computers due to lightning storms also.

So now at the first hint of thunder and lightning, we unplug the computer and the DSL unit and physically move it to another room away from the telephone!

The past 4 days has been raining hard with thunder and lightning so I have not been online much which is the reason that I did not post as regularly.

When I first started blogging, I read a blog article about blogging that said no one wants to hear your excuses about why you have not been blogging, so I thought if I turned it into an informative post first, my readers would be understanding.

So, have you ever had this happen to you (losing your computer due to lightning), or heard of it happening to someone else?

Comments

[Opal Tribble]

Yes I've heard people losing their computers and other electical appliance because of electrical storms. My father told me before he retired he was an electrical engineer.

I use a surge protector on all my computers and I also regularly back up my hard drive.

[HawaiiVacationGifts]

Opal,
You have good habits! Another thing people should not use during a lightning storm is the telephone land line and cell phone.

[Mauigirl52]

I had always heard about not using the telephone during an electrical storm but had thought it was an "old wives tale." Apparently not! Thanks for the great information, I'll be sure to unplug my computer next time we have thunder and lightning!

[HawaiiVacationGifts]

Maui Girl, glad I was able to share some useful information.