The sheer amount of energy from a direct lightning strike is
no where near the levels that myths portray. It is normal and
usual to protect electronics from direct strikes without
damage. Empire State Building would have 25 direct strikes to
TV and FM radio equipment every year without damage. WTC was
40 times per year. The concept were well proven since the
1930s and yet still little understood by many in the 2000s.

We still build new buildings as if the transistor did not
exist. Earthing - and not some overhyped plug-in protectors -
is protection. How earthing is installed and how incoming
utilities connect to earthing defines effectiveness of
protection. Since most homes directly connect appliances to
lines highest on poles, then that is a direct lightning strike
- if the incoming transient is not earthed before entering the
building. Without upgraded earth ground and 'whole house'
protector, then the homeowner is only inviting damage to occur
when asleep, when not home, or when appliance is off. Even
worse, the plug-in protector can provide a direct strike with
more destructive paths through the appliance. Damage occurs
because lightning finds earth ground, destructively, through
the appliance.

A long list of other appliances that cannot be protected by
unplugging - GFCI in kitchen and bathroom, dimmer switches,
clock radio, dishwasher, alarm system, smoke detectors,
microwave oven, portable phone base station, etc. What
protects all them?

Some comments from those who first learned effective
protection and are professionals in this industry:
http://www.harvardrepeater.org/news/lightning.html
Well I assert, from personal and broadcast experience spanning
30 years, that you can design a system that will handle
*direct lightning strikes* on a routine basis. It takes some
planning and careful layout, but it's not hard, nor is it
overly expensive. At WXIA-TV, my other job, we take direct
lightning strikes nearly every time there's a thunderstorm.
Our downtime from such strikes is almost non-existant. The
last time we went down from a strike, it was due to a strike
on the power company's lines knocking *them* out, ...
Since my disasterous strike, I've been campaigning vigorously
to educate amateurs that you *can* avoid damage from direct
strikes. The belief that there's no protection from direct
strike damage is *myth*. ...
The keys to effective lightning protection are surprisingly
simple, and surprisingly less than obvious. Of course you
*must* have a single point ground system that eliminates all
ground loops. And you must present a low *impedance* path for
the energy to go. That's most generally a low *inductance*
path rather than just a low ohm DC path.

http://www.telebyteusa.com/primer/ch6.htm
See Section 6.4:
Conceptually, lightning protection devices are switches to
ground. Once a threatening surge is detected, a lightning
protection device grounds the incoming signal connection
point of the equipment being protected. Thus, redirecting
the threatening surge on a path-of-least resistance
(impedance) to ground where it is absorbed.

http://www.ipclp.com/html/aud_ho_faq.html
A properly installed lightning protection system intercepts
the lightning bolt between cloud and earth and harmlessly
conducts it to ground without damage.
Yes, in addition to the lightning protection system consisting
of air terminals, conductor cables, clamps, fasteners, 10 foot
grounds, etc., a secondary lightning suppressor is installed
on your electric service entrance panel to prevent current
fluctuations (called lightning surges) during a thunderstorm.

The 'whole house' protector can be purchased even in Home
Depot for less than $50. That is about $1 per protected
appliance for effective protection. Compare that to $10 or
$50 for the ineffective plug-in protector that also does not
claim to protect from the typically destructive surge. Notice
the tens of times more money for protectors that don't even
claim to protect. Notice the one component always required in
every direct strike protection system: single point earth
ground. Since ineffective and grossly overpriced plug-in
protectors don't even claim to provide effective protection,
then ineffective protectors also avoid discussing the most
critical part of a protection system - the single point earth
ground.

No earth ground means no effective protection.

BTW if indirect strikes are so destructive, then any nearby
strike would destroy the so sensitive RF transistor on every
car and handheld radio. In reality, the nearby strike is
really a direct strike. Just that the path of electricity was
not fully understood. Why might lightning strike that tree?
Because it is a path to better conductive earth using buried
utilities entering the house, through household appliances,
to earth ground on other side of building. Again, protection
is about earthing which too many fail to learn - and then
assume no protection is possible.

Protection from the direct strike is so routine since before
WWII that damage from lightning is now considered a human
failure. Does your telco disconnect their $multi-million
switching computer from overhead wires all over town during
every thunderstorm? Of course not. Effective protection has
been that well understood since before WWII. Even at the
telco switching computer: surge protector is only as effective
as its earth ground.

Early 1900 ham radio operators would disconnect their
antenna, put the antenna lead inside a mason jar, and still
suffer damage. Damage stopped when that antenna lead was
earthed. Protection only as effective as the earth ground.
Even a human disconnecting appliance is less reliable.

LASERandDVDfan wrote:
It should be noted that power surge suppressors are designed to
suppress unsustained power spikes only. They are completely
useless at protecting equipment from direct and indirect
lightning hits due to the sheer amount of energy that a
lightning bolt has. Lightning will exceed the joule rating of
even the best surge suppressor. The advice to unplug equipment
from electrical outlets and telephone connections during a
lightning storm, as advised by Mr. McCullar, is the best way to
prevent lightning damage.

As for the original poster, there isn't much that can be done to
repair lightning damaged equipment if you don't have the
training, experience, appropriate service documentation, and the
repair equipment. As advised before, it is recommended that the
damaged sets be taken to a repair professional. - Reinhart