Even FEMA suggests that buried lines are better. “It pays to bury power lines.”

As widespread and vital as the overhead power lines are, they also are vulnerable, particularly during tornadoes, ice storms, and severe winter weather. Constant vibrations caused by wind or the weight of ice alone can exert enough pressure to break power lines or bring down poles. When the two forces are combined, the effects are multiplied.

“While we’re trying to keep the lines in the air, Mother Nature is trying to get them on the ground,” said Lynn Kruse, manager of operations for Dakota Energy Cooperative, one of approximately 28 such organizations in the tate. “Occasionally she wins; most of the time we win.”

Read the entire article at: https://www.fema.gov/case-study/overhead-underground-it-pays-bury-power-lines