What do you do if there is a thunderstorm?

I guess I do the same thing. A few minutes after posting this I got off the computer and unplugged it. The storm got real bad with lots of thunder, wind, rain & lightening. Now it is just raining so I'm back! :)

I love bad storms. Mainly for the photo ops. HAPPY POSTINGS FROM GRANDPA BOB!!~

Thank you so very much jpso138. I wish I had no already picked a best response for this discussion because your answer is by far the best one here. You looked up information from the weather bureau that was posted by them. They are the ones who know the proper precautions that people should take in a bad storm. I never knew that you should stay away from faucets and pipes, so that is definitely a new one for me. I also did not know that when you are outside with other people that you should spread out. Staying away from water, of course. But, other people?... I would have a tendency to gather together, especially in the dark and the scariness of a storm I would want others near me. But, I guess they know what they are talking about, huh?! Had you ever heard of those specific things before?

Hi - Read my reply to you in the post above yours. I am not sure what happened but somehow when I responded to your post it ended up posting under the person before you. Weird!

No I don't even think of it. Last night I was online while there was a great thunderstorm and I was okay.

Thank goodness you were ok and nothing happened to your computer sarahruthbeth22! I'd hate for anything to happen to anyone in a thunder & lightening storm. However, just to be extra cautious you might want to read the reply from another myLot member here named "Joyfulone" as she has had many of her things ruined in storms. Another person here got information online from the national weather service on tips during storms, which includes staying away from electrical appliances.

Hi again - Thanks for replying, but don't you ever worry about the possibility of your computer getting fried if struck by lightening? I do. Sometimes I only get off IF and only IF I hear thunder more than once and it seems relatively close by.

She is right, but I do believe the power strip protects when there are power serges..Though my microwave and other appliances are not..And I remember one time my sister lost her TV and sterio system to ligthening hitting..And we do live on the lake... So I guess I should be more cautious..

Hi carmelanirel - You've been lucky and it is really good that you have the protective power strip for your computer. However, you might want to read the reply above yours from JoyfulOne. She has had enough electrical stuff fried in her house than you can shake a stick at! It is horrible. I think she said that she has had a computer, a microwave, a few telephones and a fax machine all fried due to thunder & lightening storms! Can you believe it?! That is so awful. I cannot imagine having to replace any of those things, let alone "all" of them! Yikes! I'm glad you faired ok from the remnants of Hurricane Ike though. Take care and hope you have a terrific weekend up ahead.

You were very lucky lazeebee! If something like that happened so close to my home I think I would rethink staying on the computer, tv or game system during a lightening storm! It would have cost you a pretty penny if you had to replace your computer! I wouldn't want to take that risk. I hate having to get off of my computer during a bad storm but I do not like the take the chance.

I'm sorry lazeebee... I do not know how that happened. My prior response was meant for the person below you! Anyway, you are smart to not take the risk anymore. I guess you learned the hard way that it is best to get off and unplug everything! I am sure you were really upset because you probably lost a lot of information off of your hard drive. If that happened to me I would lose hundreds of digital camera photographs and a lot of documents. I really need to get on the ball and back-up my information onto a disk.

I agree with you maryannemax. I would not want to risk having to pay for a major repair or replace something as expensive as a computer or TV. It is better to be safe than sorry I guess. I don't like to take risks like that either. It can be too costly in the end unfortunately.

No, these occurances weren't just from one thunderstorm, but over the years in the same house. Personally, I believe that the transformer on the top of the electric pole outside draws the lightning or something. One time the pole itself started on fire, I think that's the time I lost my one fax and phone. Yes, that's a whole lot of things to replace! The house I live in has been in my family for over 150 years, so I wouldn't consider moving (although I have thought about it here and there) I probably take more precautions than most people do, but after all those times I'd rather be safe than sorry again. Live and learn lol.

Oh my goodness JoyfulOne! I cannot believe that many things have happened in relation to electricity in your household! I've heard of people who have had one thing fried before, like a computer or a television... but, phones, a fax machine, 2 televisions and a microwave! Was this all in one lightening storm or different ones during your life? Plus the fact that your dad & step-mom had such an experience as well where your step-mom almost got fried herself while cooking on the stove! Yikes... that is really scary. I guess I will be even more careful now when there is a thunder & lightening storm outside. I will surely get off of my computer and unplug things too!

You know, I bet it might have something to do with the wiring and maybe the transformer for that house since it is so old. Maybe just the whole neighborhood doesn't have adequate and newer safety stuff. I don't know what they call it but I hope you understand what I mean! Hey... it is late and I'm tired. LoL! I sure hope that never happens to you again! My goodness, I think you've had enough electronic equipment fried for a lifetime... well, maybe two or three lifetimes! Take care JoyfulOne!

I think that is very good advice GardenGerty. I keep hearing more and more from people who either had their own electronics fried or know someone who has. I did end up getting off my computer last night, shutting it down and unplugged everything, including the cable for internet from my husband's laptop. God forbid if I was the one on it if it was hit! The storm was pretty bad, but I've seen much worse around here. We have surge protectors too, but if the storm is really bad I do not put my full trust in them working the way they are meant to and I just unplug our computer completely. Thanks for the advice. Hope you have a nice day. Take care.

Yes ESKARENA1 - I like watching storms too... it can be so beautiful.

I think it is definitely safer to turn off the computer & the television too. It is better to be safe than sorry, I guess. Some people say they even unplug their other major appliances too, like their washer & dryer but I only unplug my TV and my computer or at least turn them off at the surge protector if nothing else. Depends on how BIG the storm is. :)

Good idea phoenix25 - I do not blame you... if there is lightening I definitely turn my computer off for risk of getting electrocuted or my computer getting hit by lightening. I don't know if it matters to get off during a tornado warning but I guess that is a good idea because you probably would want to take cover in a safer place of the house. The last time my mom had a tornado warning in her area she told me that she grabbed her cell phone and her bag of chocolate chip cookies and took cover in her bedroom closet! LoL! I guess those were her necessities. She is so funny sometimes. I guess if there is a possibility of not living through a tornado, I'd want to spend the last few minutes pigging out on chocolate too!

LoL... I know what you mean about loving storms seasons1981! I sometimes open the door and step outside too and my family members freak out and tell me to hurry up and come back inside. They are afraid I'll be stuck by lightening, I guess. I remember as a kid talking walks in the pouring rain and jumping in the puddles. It was fun. I guess it is a bit dangerous if it is lightening but I find it so fascinating sometimes. I love to watch the sky light up. I like to turn off all of the lights inside and watch the show.

Oops... I meant to type that my family is afraid I might be "struck" by lightening, not "stuck". LoL!

yeah thats how I am too. My mom freaks when it comes to storms -- she cant be in them whatsoever lol

Yes, I have a surge protector, but I still unplug everything if there is a bad thunderstorm around - just to be on the safe side!

I agree with you abbey19. I only get off mine and unplug it if it is a bad thunderstorm. If it is just rain and I do not hear any thunder or see any lightening then I won't. Do you have a surge protector on your computer? We do, but sometimes in a real bad storm I will even unplug our computer from that too... just to be extra safe.

I hope the lightening conductors in your flat are really good. I still don't completely trust things like that. We have a surge protector on our computer & our TV too, but in really bad lightening storms I think it is best to be safe and just turn them off. It is hard to do sometimes though. I like being on the computer. I do not mind the TV so much anymore though... nothing good is ever on anymore these days! LoL!

I really like to watch them too ellie333. I don't usually get scared or anything but I do not particularly like to be out and about, especially driving, during a bad storm. Sometimes the rain can come down so hard that it makes it really hard to see while driving, plus you never know how other drivers will do in the rain either. That is what I worry about the most... not my driving but other drivers! I like to sleep when it is raining outside. It is very soothing to me. I also like to watch the lightening out the window. Of course, in really bad storms sometimes it keeps me awake because of the loud thunder. But, overall, I like watching storms from the safety of my home. ;)

That is understandable revellanotvanella. Man is your username longgg! LoL! I agree with you that it is probably not a good idea to take a shower or a bath during a bad lightening storm. If I just hear a little rumbling thunder that sounds far away and do not see any lightening then I will take a shower if it is a necessity, like I'm going out or to work or something important like that. Otherwise, I try to wait until the storm has passed. I also get off of my computer if it is a severe storm. If it is just rain then, of course, I just stay on and do not bother turning off my electronics. I only unplug them if the storm is exceptionally bad with lots of lightening nearby.

Good idea Chevee! Hope the storm isn't too bad there, but it is a very good idea to shut down everything completely to be safe. Wouldn't want you to have anything happen to your computer. They cost too much to fix or replace. Take care.

Good advice zpcrepair. I assume you are in the PC business? I've never been on veoh but I do like the Three Stooges so maybe I will have to check it out sometime! My son, who is 13 years old, likes that show too but we can't find it on tv very often. We also really like to watch reruns of Three's Company! It is a shame that John Ritter passed away because I found him really hilarious and I am sure he had many more years left in the show business. Regarding surge protectors, you said that 98% of the time you'd be ok when using them. Why would they fail to protect your computer the other 2%? Is it just because they are not a good enough one or because they are faulty? I'd be interesting in your opinion on this.

Actually, I am not really in a computer business. I am still in high-school, and have a little computer service. I offer repair, service, and cleaning. I have a large amount of skills, so I like to offer people my services. It makes a little money, and that helps me with my internet studies. Any computer questions that you have, I will be glad to answer them. Responding to the"2%" question, I don't have a ton of money. I usually get the cheapest, or the one with best value. Thus, I don't have a top notch surge protector. But with the one I have, it satisfies me. I think, though, that spending a good sum of money on a better surge protector is worth it. Not only will you get more outlets, but you will also get a lifetime warranty, usually of up to $200,000 in damages. The 2% mainly is there because I just put it there. Technicians aren't perfect. They will make a mistake someday. Some surge protectors have even been known to go bad after a few years. Others keep working as well as they did when they were new. I guess it would be better to make that 99.5%? Just my educated guess. As I said, if I can help you or anyone with computer problems, please email me at zpcrepair@gmail.com . I am new to myLot so if you can't put emails on the messages, please tell me. Thanks! Hope I can help you in the future!