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Lightning Leaves Damage Saturday

By Brian Hagen

04/07/2012

Early morning heavy weather, bringing thunder and extreme lightning, rolled through the local area Saturday morning; and while no major damage is reported, listeners to this radio station gained a clear perspective of the dangers lightning can bring.
The early morning storms caused spotty listening, with storm interference; and, then shortly before 8:00, a major lightning strike occurred at our studios, about 6 miles south of Hiawatha.
With generator running, some electronics still could not escape the brute force of mother nature, with the lightning strike crippling broadcast abilities.
Mike Slocum is the station’s chief engineer(Play Audio :14 seconds)
Carl Jarboe, host of the weekly “Lawn and Gardens Solutions” call in show was unable to broadcast due to equipment damage, leaving callers with gardening questions unanswered until next Saturday morning, and radio station KMZA 92.1 FM was knocked off completely for a time. Radio station KNZA remained on the air, but operating with limited capabilities.
The damage incurred at the radio station can serve as a strong reminder to the public: protect your electronics when lightning is striking.
While a radio station can’t shut down, you can in your home, unplugging computers, tvs, and other non-essential electronics until a storm passes.
Simply by pulling the plug, a resident can save themselves from potential expensive losses.

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