I had a friend/neighbor whom had lost their house in a similar way... ice storms and wind had wiggled out the connections from the power pole to the house, so during a rainstorm the wires came loose enough that it started a fire in the wall. Because of the rainstorm, no one smelled or saw the fire (which started in the back) until it was really raging. The house and everything in it was a total loss. The fire was so bad that on the north side, the neighbor's fence and siding were melted. An odd thing about insurance, it doesn't pay for neighbors, so the neighbors had to file their own claim. It was upsetting enough that my friend never went back, she rebuilt in another city.

It's amazing at the impact such things have on our general thankfulness. Somehow, a sink of dirty dishes doesn't seem that bad. ;-)