At Radio Shack, there were different levels on the surge protectors. The highest they said would protect from almost all surges. I think it might be time to invest for the TV, PC and computer sewing machines. And the microwave. And none are located close to each other, so that's 4 of them.
In San Juaquin Valley, we never thought about it. But up here in the Sierra Nevadas and with the new computerized machines, it's a different world.