As a PE with both power distribution and utility company experience, I have seen many lightning events. Lightning is unpredictable, but it rarely destroys all of the wiring in a building. I would recommend that the homeowner hire a licensed electrician and ask him to megger the building wiring from the service entrance with all branch circuits connected. He should check both line to neutral and line to ground. If it doesn't check out, then he should sectionalize the wiring and repeat the megger tests until he isolates the defective wiring. If everything checks out with a megger and there are no obvious burned areas, I think the wiring would be safe to energize. I also agree with adding surge protection at the service entrance and on critical loads such as computers, and consider installing some type of lightning protection system for the house, especially if it is on high ground. Jim Cook
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