Just to put lightning strikes into perspective:
I've only had one in a lifetime of flying - TriStar, approach, cloud outside starts to glow slightly pink, (could have been aircraft glowing due rapid static build up) huge BANG! (mentioned in Arthur Whitlock's "Behind the Cockpit Door") not a mark on the hairyplane
The static wicks should dissipate the static charge which may collect on the airframe during flight. In our case, I guess the build up was so rapid that the wicks' ability to discharge was exceeded.
The first line of defence is to stay away from Cb, which doesn't always endear one to ATC esp when one crosses a sensitive international border to avoid a long line of big 'uns.