The short answer is NO. At least not any surge protector that you can buy for the inside of your house. Even a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) with surge protection will not be able to handle a lighting strike that is close by.

Do surge protectors really do anything?

Surge protectors offer protection in units called joules. Generally, the more joules the better, as this means the device can handle one large surge, or multiple smaller surges, before your gear is in danger. Over time, the parts inside the protector wear down, reducing its effectiveness.

What Does a surge protector protect against?

“When a sudden increase in voltage occurs, such as from a lightning strike or damage to a power line, a surge protector detects the excess current and safely diverts it through the house's grounding path.” A simple statement and it sounds great, but what does it mean?