This article was in the Walton Sun, and I think we should help her out. She has the House of Art in Grayton Beach, and has always been most helpful. A house warming shower would be a good idea. Anyone interested? It was a miracle that she wasn't injured, or even her dogs!
Article Window
Lightning strikes Mack Bayou home
By Deborah Wheeler
debbie_wheeler@link.freedom.com
Lisa Hinds has lived in coastal areas all her life but never incurred any damage from storms until Monday morning.
Hinds was in her second-floor bedroom at her Mack Bayou home during the heavy rains, along with her dogs, Lola and Ricco.
When the storm worsened, Hinds gathered up the pups and went downstairs to turn off electronics. The three then curled up on the sofa to wait for the storm to pass.
About 10 minutes later, Hinds heard a loud boom and saw pieces of her framed artwork that had been hanging in the stairwell come flying down the stairs.
?All the smoke detectors went off, and I immediately smelled smoke,? said Hinds. ?I picked up the dogs and ran to the back door. The yard was scattered with debris from the house. I ran outside and smoke was billowing from the house, but I couldn?t tell if it was a tree or if it was the house.?
She frantically dialed 911.
?Lola, Ricco and I stood on the porch soaking wet, and lightning was all over the place. I ran to the garage, opened the door and looked back at my home. All I could see were red flames in my bedroom upstairs,? she said.
Hinds learned later that lightning had struck her home, entering the southwest corner of her second-floor closet and traveling along her metal clothing rod to other places in the house.
Tuesday morning, her house still reeked of a burn odor as she pointed to the broken glass in the downstairs hallway, burned electrical wall sockets, broken picture frames and debris littering the outside. What was most heartbreaking, though, was finding the black burn mark left on her son?s baby blanket.
?I didn?t save many mementos from my boys? childhood. The blankets I brought them home from the hospital in was one of the few,? she said. ?That can?t be replaced.?
Hinds and her dogs are now homeless and looking for a place to live.
?They say it will take about six months to get my home livable,? she said.
So far, she knows that the roof needs to be replaced, as do electrical wiring, appliances and electronics.
?It was a strange day. But I?m safe, and my doggies are safe. I was told that if I had been upstairs when it hit, I would be dead. I believe everything happens for a reason,? she said. ?It just all feels surreal.?
DEBORAH WHEELER | The Sun
Lisa Hinds holds son Justin?s baby blanket to show the streak left by the lightning strike on Monday.
Article Window
Lightning strikes Mack Bayou home
By Deborah Wheeler
debbie_wheeler@link.freedom.com
Lisa Hinds has lived in coastal areas all her life but never incurred any damage from storms until Monday morning.
Hinds was in her second-floor bedroom at her Mack Bayou home during the heavy rains, along with her dogs, Lola and Ricco.
When the storm worsened, Hinds gathered up the pups and went downstairs to turn off electronics. The three then curled up on the sofa to wait for the storm to pass.
About 10 minutes later, Hinds heard a loud boom and saw pieces of her framed artwork that had been hanging in the stairwell come flying down the stairs.
?All the smoke detectors went off, and I immediately smelled smoke,? said Hinds. ?I picked up the dogs and ran to the back door. The yard was scattered with debris from the house. I ran outside and smoke was billowing from the house, but I couldn?t tell if it was a tree or if it was the house.?
She frantically dialed 911.
?Lola, Ricco and I stood on the porch soaking wet, and lightning was all over the place. I ran to the garage, opened the door and looked back at my home. All I could see were red flames in my bedroom upstairs,? she said.
Hinds learned later that lightning had struck her home, entering the southwest corner of her second-floor closet and traveling along her metal clothing rod to other places in the house.
Tuesday morning, her house still reeked of a burn odor as she pointed to the broken glass in the downstairs hallway, burned electrical wall sockets, broken picture frames and debris littering the outside. What was most heartbreaking, though, was finding the black burn mark left on her son?s baby blanket.
?I didn?t save many mementos from my boys? childhood. The blankets I brought them home from the hospital in was one of the few,? she said. ?That can?t be replaced.?
Hinds and her dogs are now homeless and looking for a place to live.
?They say it will take about six months to get my home livable,? she said.
So far, she knows that the roof needs to be replaced, as do electrical wiring, appliances and electronics.
?It was a strange day. But I?m safe, and my doggies are safe. I was told that if I had been upstairs when it hit, I would be dead. I believe everything happens for a reason,? she said. ?It just all feels surreal.?
DEBORAH WHEELER | The Sun
Lisa Hinds holds son Justin?s baby blanket to show the streak left by the lightning strike on Monday.
Will see you soon.