#Unplug the appliances

Growing up you probably experienced instances when your parents hurriedly told you to unplug all appliances during a thunderstorm. Think of those plugged-in appliances receiving this massive surge of electricity and weigh it against the normal voltage of your devices. In the Philippines, the typical voltage that appliances can accommodate is 220 V. The only way out may be unplugging your devices, especially in areas like the tropics where 70% of lightning strikes occur. When this happens, the discharge from the lightning will then travel through the connected power grids and cause a massive power surge - one that no amount of preparation can prove 100% effective...except, of course, unplugging your appliances. Typically, power surges target appliances or devices that are the most sensitive to a spike in voltage. On the other hand, other appliances like toasters, refrigerators, and water heaters that do have microprocessors but consume less energy are not safe but should be your last priority when it comes to preparation. While it may disconnect automatically from your plugged-in appliances and devices during massive spikes of voltage, it is still likely to discharge a significant amount of electricity to them before the fuse even breaks - one that is enough to destroy them irreparably. Read more in our articles including "Should you unplug appliances during a thunderstorm?" and "UWANT Y100 Steam Cleaner Review".