An email I received from the Detroit Edison (DTE) Energy Company today. The text reads:
How it works:
Installation*: DTE will install the device on your electric meter in less than 30 minutes. No need to schedule an appointment or be at home. Your home is protected as soon as the device is installed by our technicians.
Protection and Warranties: The warranty coverage provides $5,000 per event for appliances and $1,000 per event for electronics to repair or replace your household items in the event the device fails to protect against damaging surges.
Stay Connected: Your surge device comes with a FREE 20-foot power cable. In the event of a power outage, you can connect your generator to the surge device with the power cable to power your home up to the generator’s capacity. Easy access for your generator – you won’t have to run extension cords from your generator into your home.
Learn more | Enroll now
*There’s a one-time installation fee for a surge protection plus device of $49.99, which is a limited time offer and will expire on December 31, 2024. After the expiration date, the installation fee will return to its normal price of $99.99. To access the Surge Protection Plus program’s Terms and Conditions, visit dteenergy.com/sppterms.
and of course that URL is hyperlinked with a big long tracking string on the end of it so I won't be sharing it
I can't speak for the person you replied to's experience, but in mine it's usually either a car hit a powerline pole or a storm knocked a tree/branch into some lines and cut it. While I'm sure it's technically possible to make powerlines that can survive tornadoes, that's not practical.
In the case of a car causing it, it's rarely down for more than an hour. Usually less. Storms can be anywhere for a few minutes to hours depending on how bad it is/how big the effected area is. If I had to guess, I lose power for >30min probably twice a year. Mostly depends on how bad tornado season is.
Worst I've personally experienced was ~12 hours after a really bad storm knocked out power to a really, really big area. We got unlucky and were towards the end of the repair cycle.
Then you have Texas, who run their own grid separate from the national grid. It fails when it gets too cold. Not too much of an issue, it's Texas, doesn't get that cold too often. Problem is it also fails when it gets too hot. That's very much an issue, it's Texas, it gets hot real often.