Need help: lightning damage?

[sfx2000]

My 8 foot cooper rod is my dedicated ground for my house as it is at my main breaker box where the power comes into my house. My understanding is you are only suppose to have one main ground as 2 can cause problems.

Yep - also for outbuildings, watch for ground potential differences between buildings - one of the common threads we've had on SNB is how to link office/shop/shed to the main house - always be careful.

 

[Cloud200]

Yep - also for outbuildings, watch for ground potential differences between buildings - one of the common threads we've had on SNB is how to link office/shop/shed to the main house - always be careful.

Correct. Only 1 ground per circuit.
There is however the option of installing a Lightning rod to a dedicated ground not touching anything else in your house.