Tennessee’s in Top Ten for Lightning Damage according to State Farm®
June 19, 2015
State Farm® Releases Top States for Lightning Claims; Joins IBHS for Lightning Awareness Week
Murfreesboro, TN – Lightning may not seem as destructive as other natural disasters, yet a strike can cause serious damage to business equipment and electrical appliances, disrupt electrical service for long periods of time, and spark wildfires.
In 2014, State Farm paid nearly $149 million dollars for insurance claims as a result of damage from lightning strikes.
Lightning strikes. (NOAA)
Costly Lightning Losses can be Prevented
June 21, 2010
*In Support of National Lightning Safety Awareness Week, June 20th-26th, 2010
Hartford, CT — Hurricanes and tornadoes receive the news coverage, but according to Underwriters Laboratories (UL), lightning accounts for more than one billion dollars annually in structural damage to buildings in the U.S. alone. A single bolt of lightning can generate heat in excess of 50,000 degrees F which can spark fires or cause surging through electrical circuitry. Packing up to 100 million volts of electricity, a lightning strike to an unprotected home or business can be disastrous, with lightning most often igniting roofs, sidewalls, framing and electrical wires. According to the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.), insured losses from lightning continue to climb, with the average cost per claim up 39 percent over the past five years. A single lightning strike can cost a homeowner over $5,000, with losses ranging from damage to expensive electronics to structural fires that destroy entire homes. [Read more]
