Regarding disaster response by electric utilities, the hurricanes and tornadoes are the worst. Ice storms also, but normal winter snow, at least where I grew up in northeast Ohio, wasn’t a problem. The ice though - it clings to the wires and to the tree branches, weighs them down, and eventually causes havoc.
Back in August, 93, we had a storm come off Lake Erie that had no tornadoes, but had straight line winds in excess of 80 mph. Tore the distribution system up. I mean just wiped out rows of power line poles. Didn’t damage the major transmission lines on the big steel towers though - those are built to withstand significantly more wind, and the trees are kept clear of those wires.
Mutual aid is practiced by most utilities - they ‘loan’ their crews to one another, though the host utility pays the cost, of course. If, for example, the Knoxville Utility Board sends 10 line crews to, say, Jacksonville, FL, to clean up after a hurricane, Jacksonville Energy Authority pays for their expenses including wages, lodging, meals, and travel. As would be expected.
I live two miles from I-75 and the utility and wood cutting trucks always make a convoy headed to Florida. If we have a really good hay year, which is almost always, all of the farmers here send large rolls of hay to CA and other places out West if their hay doesn’t come in. I’m really surprised CA lets them in, starving cows/horses or not. Regulations you know.
They might no North in winter, but I have never seen them.
We are supposed to get 3” of snow on Monday. That should shut us down for a week. 🙄 Southerners don’t do snow.