As I write this, giant lightning storms are marching across the area I live, and have been all day long. It’s a serious situation, and it reminds me of the time lighting struck our neighbor’s chain link fence which separated the two properties. The jolt blew out all the electronics at my neighbor’s house, but only killed my network router and gave my daughter’s TV a permanent rainbow across the screen.

The difference between my house and theirs is that every electronic device I had was plugged into a surge suppressor. Not really expensive ones, either, just the little $15 dollar jobs. However, all my computers were not only plugged into one, but two surge suppressors joined in series.

My neighbors suffered damage directly from the surge of electricity that came streaming through their power outlets. The damages I suffered were due to the EMP, or Electro-Magnetic Pulse, from the huge magnetic field projected by the metal chain link fence. It permanently warped the magnetic field in the picture tube of my kid’s television, and it sent a surge of electricity via induction directly into the small transformer which powered my router — bypassing the surge suppressors altogether. There was nothing to be done about that.

What I’m advocating here, though, is the use of more than one surge suppressor. If you’re paranoid like me, plug your electronics into a surge suppressor, then plug that — and only that — into another suppressor. Then plug that other suppressor into the wall.

If a surge does get through the first one, it’s not likely to make it through the second. But, if you’re REALLY paranoid, you can put in a third. Anything that makes it through the first and second will not make it through a third one. If it does, well, the lightning must have come through the window and hit the electronics directly.

If that happens, let’s hope your insurance company doesn’t try to claim it’s an act of God.