Where are the candles, Mabel?

Scotland is being lashed by gales - this is hardly unusual.  The default weather pattern for these islands, particularly at this time of year, is for deep depressions to come in over the Atlantic and create gales in Scotland and the North,  So?? Well, given that this is the position, isn't it rather mad to put power lines up in the air, where it is almost inevitable they will be brought down by the high winds, or by trees and such blowing on to them?  Thousands of people are without power up there, and chances are that even if supply is resumed, they will be without power again come the next storm. I assume it is more expensive to put power cables underground, but has anybody actually done the maths and worked out how much it would save in the long run to do that, and not have to continually put repairmen's lives at risk - not to mention giving Joe Public the peace of mind of knowing his electricity supply is safe? A case of short term pain for long term gain?