In our neighborhood - in last 4 years, three homes hit with lightning strikes. One was a two story...total destruction, look like a bomb was dropped. They had to build from scratch...took over a year. The 2nd destroyed anything electrical (all) and their water system. The third was not hit directly but the ground current caused considerable damage to all electrical systems. The home/property that was totally damaged was significantly lower than the rest = halfway down the hill...looked like it would be the least susceptible...just the way to storm passed through.
I jumped on this thread because just this past week had an electrician out to upgrade my audio room ...two dedicated 20 amp 8 gauge circuits. We had a long discussion about lightning strikes and home protection. He indicated there is no circuit breaker, conditioner, surge system that will stop 3 million volts...I asked about lighten rod protection systems. He felt that drawing strikes to your property was not optimal either. He said everything would need to be completely disconnected....ethernet, HDMI, all plugs/cords and as far away from main house electrical system...even then a direct hit with ground current could be an issue. I unplug everything...and keep my fingers crossed.
