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ALTHOUGH summer has just begun, the weather in many parts of the country has been unduly hot, accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and power failures. Fluctuations in electrical service, whether because appliances cycle on and off or because of a lightning strike or damage to power lines, can lead to power surges that can damage sophisticated electronics in home appliances.

“Lightning strikes hundreds of thousands of times annually, causing millions of dollars in damage,” said Loretta Worters, a spokeswoman for the Insurance Information Institute, an industry organization in Manhattan. Although the number of insurance claims for damage caused by lightning fell from 2006 to 2007, the average cost per claim continues to rise. “Wide-screen TVs, home entertainment centers, multiple-computer households, gaming systems and other expensive devices are having a significant impact on claims losses,” she said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/10/ga...695c&ei=51 24

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