The grid in the states is rock solid here, in general - certain cases not withstanding. Power distribution in the states is largely arial, which means deeply effected by large weather events, so while the power might be on - on the transmission side - it doesnt mean that the distribution side is in any condition to deliver any to you at that moment. I cant say my overall experiences with power are different than yours, I dont think I've ever had an outage longer than one hour, and I've only had four power loss events, each less than a half an hour in duration over the last 20 years.
The US has many extreme weather events - Hurricanes, Blizzards, Floods, Wind Storms, Ice Storms, Tornados, Wildfires (yes, thats sorta weather), Heavy Rain events, etc - that will often bring down trees onto distribution circuits. I may be wrong, but I have the belief (based on news reporting) that weather events which in the states are considered 'normal' would be 'extreme' in Europe.
The US has many extreme weather events - Hurricanes, Blizzards, Floods, Wind Storms, Ice Storms, Tornados, Wildfires (yes, thats sorta weather), Heavy Rain events, etc - that will often bring down trees onto distribution circuits. I may be wrong, but I have the belief (based on news reporting) that weather events which in the states are considered 'normal' would be 'extreme' in Europe.