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State Farm® Paid More than $3 Million on Mississippi Lightning Strikes
Jackson, MS – June 22, 2016 – The cost of being the victim of a lightning strike could be more than you’d think. In 2015, State Farm®, the state’s largest home insurer, paid out $3,076,634.00 on 555 insurance claims across the state of Mississippi connected to lightning strikes. The average cost per claim was $5,543.48. Damage is generally caused by power surges carried by electrical wiring, TV cables, or phone lines serving the home or business and usually involve one or more electronic items.
State Farm is releasing the lightning claim numbers for National Lightning Safety Awareness Week which is June 19 – 25, 2016.
June, July, and August are the times of year when lightning is most frequent. “Despite this, there are ways to reduce your chances of striking out with a lightning loss,” says State Farm spokesman Roszell Gadson. Whether you are outside during a storm, or presumably safe at home, there are steps you can take to reduce the chances of being hit by lightning.
Protect yourself
Treat lightning with proper caution. If you are outside and a thunderstorm approaches, immediately seek shelter inside a fully enclosed building.
If a building is not available, take shelter in a car with a metal top and keep doors and windows closed.
Certain locations are extremely hazardous during thunderstorms. Avoid lakes, beaches or open water; fishing from a boat or dock; and riding on golf carts, farm equipment, motorcycles or bicycles. Never seek shelter under a tree!
If caught outdoors, try to minimize your risk by going to a place of lower elevation.
Stay off landline/wired telephones and utilize a cell phone if necessary. In your home, do not stand near open windows, doorways or metal piping. Stay away from the TV, plumbing, sinks, tubs, radiators and stoves. Avoid contact with small electric appliances such as radios, toasters and hairdryers
Protect Your Home or Business
For protection from lightning strikes in the general area of your home or an externally produced surge, a whole-house surge protector is the best starting point for reducing the risk of damage or a fire.
Install additional protection for important or expensive electronic equipment. This should include localized surge protection for power cords to the electronic equipment and any telephone and cable/satellite TV lines connecting to the equipment.
Make sure all equipment is UL-listed and properly labeled.
Lightning protection systems are designed to protect a structure and provide a specified path to harness and safely ground the super-charged current of the lightning bolt. The system neither attracts nor repels a strike, but receives the strike and routes it harmlessly into the earth, thus discharging the dangerous electrical event. Be sure the lightning protection system is designed and installed in accordance with accepted industry standards.
About State Farm®:
The mission of State Farm is to help people manage the risks of everyday life, recover from the unexpected, and realize their dreams. State Farm and its affiliates are the largest providers of auto, home and individual life insurance in the United States. Its 18,000 agents and more than 65,000 employees serve more than 83 million policies and accounts – nearly 81 million auto, home, life, health and commercial policies, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 35 on the 2016 Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit https://www.statefarm.com.
