[jtdraig]

I've been here since 2005, August. In that time, we have seen at least three houses sustain a direct hit from lightening and go up in flames like that home in Poinciana tonight. We live in Liberty Park so watched the house go up and it was clear that the gaslines in the attic were exploding. The house also went up in an unbelievable short period of time, literally minutes. We went over there only because my sister-in-law lives in the same vicinity and we were concerned for her. It's a heartbreaking sight. Talked to some people who saw the lightening strike the house and it was a strong, bright bolt.

That said, lightening is a part of the summer thunderstorms that are active in Florida. Many homes have lightening rods installed and no matter where you live whether it is Vermont or Florida, you should have a surge protection and some kind of grounding system.

We don't regret our decision to come here and we really don't think that lightening should deter anyone. You just have to be responsible and take preventive measures. Lightening, microbursts, tornados, etc. are a fact of life no matter where you live. New Hampsire just had a major tornado so no one is really exempt.