Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
There is a reason Zeus was the god of the sky and that his weapon was lightning: Thunder and lightning are the ultimate symbols of power. Weather—and storms in particular—is a symbol of the power nature ultimately has over man, reminding us that the people who try to control nature are just fooling themselves.
Think about the scene where Derek is out in the Everglades by himself. He sits on his helmet cam instead of the muddy ground, under a tree. We know from the narrative that trees attract lightning. Then, "The lightning bolt shot down the trunk of the bay tree and came out at the roots, striking the metal headpiece and launching Derek like a bomb" (21.2). He is symbolically and literally hit by lightning. Nature strikes him through the medium (his helmet camera) through which he has tried to control and abuse nature (by manipulating the reality of nature for his TV show to turn a profit).
The hole in the helmet cam represents nature blowing a hole through the false reality Derek attempts to create for his audience. It's kind of like Derek is trying to be a god, what with manipulating nature and such. But we know Derek is no Zeus, though.