This article is from page 1 of the 2012-11-06 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 1 JPG
A WEST Clare community is rallying around a shocked family to rebuild their home after it was struck by lightning at the weekend.
A gaping hole was blown open on the roof of the home of Barbara and Martin Haugh in Farrihy, Kilkee, shortly after 4.15pm on Saturday.
The lightening also blew out the electricity in the family home and the ceilings in two bedrooms collapsed. A nearby mobile home belonging to their daughter and her family was also hit, but no one was injured in the incident.
Ms Haugh, who was inside the house with her son Martin Jnr (23) and her six-year-old grandchild, was blown off her feet when the lightning struck the house, and although she was extremely shocked, she was unhurt.
Martin Snr was stranding outside when the freak incident occurred.
“It was very frightening but at least no one was hurt.
“The lightning came in through the phone line and my wife, who was standing at the front door, got blown down the hall. She wasn’t hurt at all but she was very shocked by it,” said Mr Haugh.
“All the electrical appliances just blew up.”
Mr Haugh admitted that he did not have insurance but said he did not think it would have covered this act of God.
The local community has already begun to rally around the family, with the power restored on Sunday by a local electrician.
The hole in the roof was also patched up, and a major clean-up began yesterday (Monday).
Local people described the Saturday afternoon weather in Kilkee, which included hailstones and lightening, as “horrific”.