Lightning Struck GoBrolly

Recently, during one of the more violent summer storms we have had in the area, lightning struck GoBrolly Internet Headquarters.

And we don’t mean metaphorically. (Although we do get a lot of ideas.)

When office personnel were alerted, they walked into GoBrolly’s building with the western-facing glass pierced in two places creating 5” holes. The large, old tree preserved during remodel – which also sits on the west side of the building – looked as if a dragon, or perhaps an overgrown raccoon, had raked its claws up and down the trunk.

And not only that, but a poor squirrel family was on the ground below. Needless to say they did not survive the intense electricity from Mother Nature just hours before.

Mother Nature can be cruel, no doubt. It can also be quite impressive. So as the staff pondered the powerful event that happened while no-one was occupying the building, they realized their Customers still had Internet.

Yeah, no one lost their Internet connection.

Built in 2014 with layers of technical redundancy, automatic alerts to staff, and a network large enough to withstand numerous outages without reducing service to Customers, GoBrolly Internet stayed strong while this electrical discharge struck the tree, jumped to both windows then bolted down the trunk.

Lightning strikes kill more Americans than hurricanes and tornadoes do each year, according to a National Geographic article.

The article did not say anything about squirrels.

We are thankful that no people were hurt and no accidents happened on Amity street. We are also hoping that lighting doesn’t strike twice, although according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), it DOES.

So we are prepared.