What happened in this South Lake Tahoe home after lightning struck
Submitted by paula on Sat, 07/18/2020 - 7:55pm
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - If it's true that "lightning never strikes the same place twice," the Ogness family doesn't have anything to worry about.
Mike Ogness, his wife, daughter and son-in-law, and grandaughter (and two Golden Retrievers) were enjoying a summer afternoon in their Tahoe Keys home on Thursday when a storm cell went over South Lake Tahoe, dropping hail and rain, and accompanied by outbursts of lightning.
One of those lightning strikes hit the Ogness home.
"If you have ever heard a short electrical snap or a circuit breaker pop it was like that only extremely loud," Mike said of the sound. The Vietnam veteran said it wasn't like a bomb going off, just a big jolt. People for a couple of miles around the Inverness Drive home heard and saw it as well.
"My parents taught us kids when we were afraid in electrical storms to count the seconds between the flash of the lightning and the thunder and you can tell if the storm is moving away or closer," Mike explained. "This was a 'no seconds between' flash and thunder."
The lightning put a one-foot hole in the roof, and fried a lot of the home's electronics: two televisions, two security cameras, a fax/printer, the Direct TV box, a Roku box, their spa's computer, and the sprinkler timer. A watch that was plugged into a charger shattered, Mike said.
"We are still finding more," said Mike of the damage.
The best thing of the strike was that nobody was hurt, said Mike.
He said he was "beyond thankful" for the work of South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue responded along with the South Lake Tahoe Police Department and appreciated of the care from Winter Electric, Southwest Gas, Direct TV, and Spectrum.
"The Tahoe community is a great place to belong," said Mike.
Asked what he'll be doing when another storm hits, Mike said, "I think I may hide under the bed during the next electrical storm."
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