A Lightning Strike..... Way to Close To Home

This morning I was peaceful drinking my tea and listening to the rumbling thunder outside.  I looked out from the porch and saw really dark clouds rolling from the south west.  I went back inside with the girls, feed them, and got some breakfast.
     As I sat down to eat.....   there was a HUGE Flash and CRASH of THUNDER!
   I turned on the TV to see what was going on while I ate and the TV was fine, but no picture.  I called the service provider and scheduled an appt.  Everything else was working as it was before the crash.  
    Later in the afternoon I grabbed my camera after the service men told the tree, 2 villa's up, was hit.  As I walked around the tree, I found shattered plastic from the outdoor light infront of every villa. The plastic was scattered in a 30 or 40' radius.  The tree was struck in the heart of the area where 3 arms reach up to the sky.  On each side of the arms, you can see black marks coming down the trunk.  In one place you can see where the lightning went around a scar where a large branch had been cut off.  On one side you blackening runs down and then there is a streak of trunk where the lightning came out and went to the lamppost which exploded.  Around the trunk you could see small parts of the bark, blown off and scattered some 1-3' away.
    Time will tell if this tree was killed today.  It may well have as it was struck in center of the trunk where all the limbs reach out.  Since all 3 sides showed black marks of electric travel, it may well have been deadly.
    One pic shows the front side of the tree facing the road with the lamppost on the left of the tree.  Another pic shows the whole tree where the electric force traveled down and burst out of the trunk.  Another shows the 3rd side of the trunk, blackened by the lightning.
     Mother Nature is very powerful......  to be respected.  I am lucky that I didn't have any further damage.   Florida is truly, The Lightning Capital!

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