I think that the average person in the US is not the right measure for this risk, since (in my experience living in both settings) power outage durations have different distributions in urban and rural areas. Of course, there is gradation between completely rural and completely urban settings and other factors such as whether you're connected to city water and whether you have animals to take care of and whether you have a car will influence personal decisions.
Urban outages for extended periods are typically caused by major storms that can be anticipated seasonally or a week in advance, while rural outages for extended periods often last longer and are caused by smaller... (read more)
I think that the average person in the US is not the right measure for this risk, since (in my experience living in both settings) power outage durations have different distributions in urban and rural areas. Of course, there is gradation between completely rural and completely urban settings and other factors such as whether you're connected to city water and whether you have animals to take care of and whether you have a car will influence personal decisions.
Urban outages for extended periods are typically caused by major storms that can be anticipated seasonally or a week in advance, while rural outages for extended periods often last longer and are caused by smaller... (read more)