Do you pull A/C plugs during thunder storms?

I lost an amp (it was turned on) and a big screen TV (not turned on, but plugged in). I have a whole house surge protector in the main breaker box.It did not do a thing. Pretty useless, actually.
The TV tech told me a lightning strike can jump the gap in a switch that is switched off, so unplug everything that matters.

Nope, have them plugged in to a quality surge protector. So just hope it does its job. As long as it's not a direct hit the equipment should be fine.

I too live near the lightning capital of the world (Tampa, FL) and I used to, but I have had friends with everything unplugged lose equipment like Hodu did, lightning makes a huge EMF pulse, enough to cook electronics just sitting nearby, you don't need them to be plugged in to lose gear.

Now I run all my gear off PurePower conditioners with battery backup as I fear brown outs more than surges, but they protect from that too.

Yup!!!!!!

Ever since coming home to the smell of electrical stench that comes from an amplifier hit by lightening, I have always unplugged my system. It's a smell that is unforgettable. Even while sleeping at night, if I hear a passing thunderstorm, I wake up and immediately unplug it.