Flip-flops save woman during lightning strike?

My meteorological expertise tells me that this is hullabaloo. (That's a funny word.) -ERIC

YORK, Va. (AP) -- A York County woman says she's still alive because of two things: her faith and her flip-flops.

Marie Drackert was watching the weather on television in her home on July 29th when a bolt of lightning came down her chimney and out through her fireplace. The lightning fried appliances and sent a jolt of electricity through her body. She says the rubber in her flip-flops kept her grounded and her faith kept her going.

Drackert says the impact from the strike was so strong, she thought that a plane had crashed into the roof. York County Assistant Fire Chief Mike Player says the house didn't catch fire, but firefighters had to replace a fried smoke detector.

The lightning zapped Drackert's washer and dryer, television, telephone, stereo, microwave oven, toaster, coffee pot and a brand-new air conditioning unit. Parts of her home's floor and walls were also damaged. The bolt traveled into two neighbors' homes as well. Drackert says she's thinking about getting the flip-flops bronzed.