Property Inspection After Snow and Ice Storms

After last week’s ice and snow storm, most of the country has been left to dig out from under the freezing effects.  Most people don’t realize this but, ice can expand between 9 and 11 %.  When ice can’t naturally expand, the pressure imposed on the surroundings can rise dramatically.  Take for instance a water main break.  The water inside the water main doesn’t have to freeze for a break to occur.  Water in the ground can freeze and exert pressure on the exterior surface of the pipe by transmitting it through the dirt.  In similar ways, roofs can be damaged and pavement can be cracked.  Property owners should take the time to inspect their properties after thawing has occurred to determine if any damage is present.  If damage is encountered and depending on the extent of the damage, decisions will have to made on the best time to have the damage repaired,  how the damage will be repaired, and by whom.  Property owners should not take unnecessary risks, especially around electrical service.  Obviously, if the property owner cannot climb on the roof or enter a crawl space then they will have to find someone who can do the inspection for them.      

Lightning Hits Car

It’s not unheard of  for lightning to strike a stationary object.  But a moving vehicle?  What are the odds of that happening?  We were recently involved in the investigation of just such a case.  Lightning apparently struck a 2002 Mercury Sable during a rain storm on a major highway.  While examining the vehicle, it  was noted that the end of  the antenna  had been partially melted.  In course of the strike, the  driver was unhurt, but all of the electronic devices had been damaged to the  extent that the entire vehicle was a total loss.  How does that happen?  All vehicles are connected to the negative battery terminal by way of a cable attached to the body/chassis of the  vehicle.  The lightning bolt would simply travel along any metallic surface and branch into all devices by way of their connection to the chassis.  After having traveled through the vehicle, lightning then traveled out of the vehicle and into the ground.  A review of lightning in the area confirmed its presence and the possibility that the vehicle had been hit.  The pictures below show the damage to the antenna and  the pavement.

Damage to antenna caused by lightning

Holes in pavement caused by lightning strike