Here's a link to a chat we just had a little while back about this....
(Topic ID: 57432)
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Quoted from Monster_Bash:Always turned off at the breaker...take less than 5 seconds to flip them all on
Quoted from RTR:Probably a dumb question, but is keeping the breaker off as good as unplugging the machines?
Turning the breaker off isn't going to help. It only takes like 10,000 volts to jump a one inch air gap. Lightning is a hell of a lot more than that, and the small gap in the breaker contacts is going to do nothing to stop a hit.
Quoted from robertmee:No....Lightning can easily jump the gap between the open contacts of a breaker.
You beat me to it, Robert. I left to answer the phone before I finished typing. 
Quoted from Monster_Bash:Interesting...
15 years of collecting and 2 lightning hits..one of which took out darn near everything plugged into a wall. All the pins and vids survived shut off at the breaker...along with the neon signs...stereo..and TV.Ironically the TV and the stereo system up stairs...that was plugged into a $50+ surge strip didn't make it...neither did the strip
Guess I've been getting lucky
Yeah, sometimes there's no rhyme nor reason to what it takes out.
One thing worth noting....not all strikes are direct hits, so you might pick up some stray voltage from a nearby hit, and not see the full effect. Something small like that *might possibly* be stopped by a breaker being turned off, but don't ever count on it. Being an electrician I've seen A LOT of lightning damage, and bottom line, if you want to be sure stuff is safe, unplug it. A direct hit has the potential to fry anything unless it's unplugged. You take away the path to your precious things and you know they're safe....unless your house burns down from the lightning. 
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