A family in Co Clare is facing a bill of thousands of Euro after their home was extensively damaged in a lightning strike on Saturday evening. writes Pat Flynn.
The Haugh family, from Farrihy near Kilkee in the west of the county, have been left shocked by their experience which saw a gaping hole blown in their roof while two bedroom ceilings collapsed and electrical appliances exploded around the house.
The incident happened at around 4.15pm while Martin Haugh was standing outside his home.
No one was injured in the incident however Mr Haugh's wife was blown off here feet and left shaken by the frightening incident.
A mobile home, parked on Mr Haugh's property, was not hit by the lightning however a television and several appliances blew up and while sockets were blown off the wall.
Martin Haugh said last night: "It was very frightening but at least no one was hurt. The lightning came in through the phone line and my wife, who was standing at the front door, got blown down the hall. She wasn't hurt at all but she was very shocked by it."
"All the electrical appliances just blew up and a big hole was blown in the roof. The ceilings in two bedrooms just crashed to the floor," Mr Haugh added.
The house is occupied by Mr Haugh, his wife and son while a daughter lives in the adjacent mobile home with her partner and two young children.
"Oh God it was an awful bang and there was awful rain and hailstone. We're still shaking from it. The mobile home wasn't hit at all but the television and appliances were destroyed and the electrical sockets were blown right off the walls," he said.
"We got the roof patched up and the power back on today but we'll be cleaning up the rest for a while. It will take a while to replace everything and patch up the ceilings. I don't have insurance but I don't think they cover this sort of thing anyway," Mr Haugh added.
A thunderstorm passed over the Loop Head Peninsula during the late afternoon and early evening on Saturday with reports of widespread lightning activity around the Kilkee area in particular.
There were no other reports of property being damage during the period of the thunderstorm and no reports of anyone being hurt.
Another Farrihy resident said: "It was wicked bad here for a while and our electricity was out for a while but it was only at mass I heard that a house in Farrihy was hit by the lightning. At least no one was hurt. I hate the lightning myself so I didn't go out at all. I wasn't out again until the morning after."
The Haugh family, from Farrihy near Kilkee in the west of the county, have been left shocked by their experience which saw a gaping hole blown in their roof while two bedroom ceilings collapsed and electrical appliances exploded around the house.
The incident happened at around 4.15pm while Martin Haugh was standing outside his home.
No one was injured in the incident however Mr Haugh's wife was blown off here feet and left shaken by the frightening incident.
A mobile home, parked on Mr Haugh's property, was not hit by the lightning however a television and several appliances blew up and while sockets were blown off the wall.
Martin Haugh said last night: "It was very frightening but at least no one was hurt. The lightning came in through the phone line and my wife, who was standing at the front door, got blown down the hall. She wasn't hurt at all but she was very shocked by it."
"All the electrical appliances just blew up and a big hole was blown in the roof. The ceilings in two bedrooms just crashed to the floor," Mr Haugh added.
The house is occupied by Mr Haugh, his wife and son while a daughter lives in the adjacent mobile home with her partner and two young children.
"Oh God it was an awful bang and there was awful rain and hailstone. We're still shaking from it. The mobile home wasn't hit at all but the television and appliances were destroyed and the electrical sockets were blown right off the walls," he said.
"We got the roof patched up and the power back on today but we'll be cleaning up the rest for a while. It will take a while to replace everything and patch up the ceilings. I don't have insurance but I don't think they cover this sort of thing anyway," Mr Haugh added.
A thunderstorm passed over the Loop Head Peninsula during the late afternoon and early evening on Saturday with reports of widespread lightning activity around the Kilkee area in particular.
There were no other reports of property being damage during the period of the thunderstorm and no reports of anyone being hurt.
Another Farrihy resident said: "It was wicked bad here for a while and our electricity was out for a while but it was only at mass I heard that a house in Farrihy was hit by the lightning. At least no one was hurt. I hate the lightning myself so I didn't go out at all. I wasn't out again until the morning after."
IMAGE: This screengrab, provided courtesy of The Meteo Times and www.netweather.tv, shows the short squall line-type thunderstorm circled) that produced the lightning at 7:15 PM on Saturday, 3 Nov 2012
