This does not surprise me at all. We have known for a long while that our power grid is vulnerable, and have done little to nothing about it.
I’m not sure how much of a difference underground power lines would make.
This is the Chinese Pearl Harbor. If things go bad—They can turn off the juice. Without cell phones, computers, the youths will demand we give into China—If the Chinese can blame Trump somehow—They win big. But not too big. China is like a parasite —if it kills the host they too will die. China isn’t strong enough to withstand the world wide depression and social upheaval that would be caused by the fall of America. When the starving starts people will not comply with their tyrant masters.