Reply #9: Well, she rents.

[benburch]

So that isn't really an option.

I've worked testing building entry protectors for phone lines and etc, and there is a limit to how much energy you can carry to ground with a Cook Electric type gas tube or with any semiconductor SCR or MOV. Those things can protect you from NEARBY lightning strikes, but never from a direct hit. The fact that this caused a fire in her residence tells me that the building was struck, or the power pole right outside the building was struck.

As I know she lives in an older building, likely the copper ground rod is no longer very good. Perhaps enough to look grounded to a ground testing device, but not enough to carry off significant energy.

All-in-all it is a tragic thing that happened to her, and I hope people will help her get on her feet. She has been doing streaming Liberal radio for even longer than I have.