© MIDWEST INDEPENDENT RESEARCH
Midwest
Independent Research creates free educational websites on a variety of subjects
in eight categories: Cultural; Economic; Health Care; Health Promotion;
International; Practical; Science; and Social. Our purpose is to provide
college and high school students and adults with educational material and book
lists on important subjects.
Some of the
websites correspond to academic courses such as Anthropology, History, Life
Sciences, Mathematics, and Sociology and others are oriented to current issues
such as Co-ops, Global Warming, Native Trees, Progressives, Race, and Wildlife.
For more complete
information, go to our central website:
http://mwir-improvements.blogspot.com/
LIST OF BOOK LISTS:
LIST OF WEBSITES:
http://mwir-improvements.blogspot.com/p/list-of-websites.html
LIST OF BOOK LISTS:
http://mwir-improvements.blogspot.com/p/book-lists.html
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Over 300 people were killed in tornado storms April 27th, 2011. If global warming increases, the number of storms and lightning strikes may increase greatly in the years ahead. Commercial and Industrial buildings generally have built in lightning protection because building codes require it but residential buildings generally do not in spite of the 99% effectiveness of such systems. In fact, lightning rods were considerably more common 50 years ago than they are today. This is probably because a protection system is not cheap; costs run between $2000 and $3000 for an average home, and lightning damage is considered unlikely and is covered by home insurance. However, some insurance companies may give a discount for a lightning protections system to offset your cost.
How likely is lightning damage? House fires caused by lightning average around 31,000 a year in this country; there are about 60 million single family homes. So the odds, on average, of a fire due to lightning are about .05% per year. Over a lifespan of 80 years, the odds of a fire are 4%, on average. The odds of a house being hit by lightning are much higher, and that can cause other damage, e.g. to computers, TVs, garage door openers or structural damage. For rural and suburban houses, lightning is the major cause of fire damage. If you live in an area with lots of lightning storms, like Florida , Michigan or Texas
Lightning rods are recommended by architects, engineers and safety consultants. You may have more peace of mind knowing that you and your home are protected. Is a lightning protection system worth it for you? Can you afford it? What are your priorities? Maybe the following will help you decide.
