One of the houses I grew up in was very far from the power switching station and the slightest storm would translate to major surges -- cloud-cloud strikes would set off the smoke detectors. I lost a lot of electronics (a/c-connected only, like radios, too). Every other place I've lived has been much closer to switching stations and I've had zero problems in the worst storms. I'd still unplug if I knew a storm was approaching - easy enough to do.