A couple of members here have had issues with storms damaging their HT's and other equipment. It's been an unusually bad summer for thunderstorms in S. Ontario this year compared to most years and unfortunately yesterday, just south of here a few miles, there was a serious incident involving a young family. Hopefully they'll be ok.

Zeus is back with a vengeance, it seems.

I never regretted taking my daughter off the softball diamond that day many years ago. This type of occurence just reinforces that parents should do the right thing regardless of what some coach is doing.

Welcome to a typical south Florida summer, can't believe my equipment hasn't been zapped yet. (knockin' on wood)

Especially if your system is made of wood.

Mine sometimes is.

Yipe!

Ha!! Youtube has some good live shots of the tower getting hit.

Just to provide a bit of an update to my OP.

The 3 yr old that was struck has been upgraded from critical to serious condition at Toronto Sick Kids , his 5 yr old brother who was hit more directly, is still in critical unfortunately. Apparently he was carrying a folded metal scooter over his shoulder when the freak lightning bolt hit.

My neighbour told me that the lightning left a 4 ft crater in the ground where it touched down. Hopefully they'll pull through this alright, it truly was a bit of a freak event in that, with all the electrical storms the area has had over the last 3 or so weeks, this one was barely a storm at all when the lightning hit.

Unfortunately the 5 yr old passed away last night. God bless him and his family, sad, sad story.