Is it time for a new Rural Electrification Project?

The northeast ice storm yesterday left hundreds of thousands without power, and it will take days to restore power to everyone, this at a time when temperatures are going to be in the single digits at night. Given the importance of electricity for basic needs such as heat and medical devices, should the federal government start a new Rural Electrification Project that would place electrical lines underground, starting in the north where winter storms place much hardship on those living there?