[meyer]

Yes, they are well grounded, but a lightening strike can take a generating station off line in a hurry. I've seen it happen.

Yes, and if lightning gets into the control circuits, it can cause a multitude of seemingly unrelated circuit breaker trippings in the same station that might qualify as a double or triple contingency. This is true whether there's a generator involved or not. The control schemes are designed to deal with lightning, but it is a sometimes unpredictable force of nature.

[Fledermaus]

Lightning struck the ground 10 feet from my apt. building's meters and we lost power. I lost 2 TV sets and a vcr, blew up my computer through the telephone modem, not the power, blew up the thick plastic around the dryer plug, blew every circuit breaker with a few burnt out.

And I was in the shower! Sounded like a bomb went off.