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By LAVERNE STEWART
stewart.laverne@dailygleaner.com

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The fear of lightning has many names. Call it what you will for those who tremble with fear, when the heavens roar, there's nothing any scarier.

Helena Wilson is terrified of thunder and lightning storms. As a child, she would become so upset she would vomit whenever there was a thunder and lightning storm. Now that she's a mother to a two-year-old girl, she tries to be brave for her daughter's sake. This has been incredibly difficult to do ever since lightning struck the family's Burtts Corner home three months ago.

Wilson was at home and watching TV around 4:30 p.m. on May 19 when she saw a lightning bolt in the sky.

"I was petrified. I called my husband. He said to go somewhere away from the windows. The next one hit right after and I couldn't even count between the flash and the rumble. When it hit, my ears popped. It was deafening. The baby was napping. She woke up screaming."

The lightning hit the ground and went through the garage, destroyed Jeremy Wilson's truck tire and damaged the concrete floor. Mother Nature's fury has left them in the dark and out on the street as they continue to wait for their insurance company to compensate them for the damage caused to their home by the summer storm.

The lightning entered the electrical system in the house. It damaged the wiring, some appliances, blew the breakers in the electrical panel and caused excessive heat damage. Because of safety concerns, electrical inspectors ordered the family out of their home on June 12. They are still living in a camper in their front yard without running water. There have been several thunder and lightning storms since the one that struck their home. Now they are enduring them while sitting in a travel trailer, which Wilson says, is beyond terrifying.

Some of the wiring in the Wilson home needs to be replaced according to a report from an electrical inspector. But the couple's insurance company, Stanley Mutual Insurance, has said that a total rewiring was excessive and has been resistant to paying for the work to be done. The couple's insurance policy does cover such damage. An insurance company agent has told them the work was unnecessary and a Megger meter tester could pinpoint if the wiring is bad, defective or just in need of minor repairs. The Wilsons have been told by electricians and engineers the Megger meter test does not always work as it's supposed to.

"Sometimes it misses damaged wires and we're terrified to death that it would put us, and our daughter, in danger. It's turned into an absolute mess. We are still living in the trailer."

Last week Helena Wilson met with the Department of Public Safety to discuss the matter. The department has now issued an order for repair work which the insurance company must follow.

With files from Jennifer Dunville