They can be depending on the category they form up to. They're more likely to shut down schools and make the kids do make-up days, whereas the company I work for looks down upon those putting personal safety over working during incoming storms. Heck schools sometimes shut down during a tropical storm here.
Last time we had to shut down, we were only closed for *checks notes* less than 10 hours. Shut down early day before, but opened up at normal business times the next day, and called in people to work. Meanwhile on the road we had a good amount of flooding because the city workers normally don't clean out drainage ducts and one of the old trees fell over into the road, along with lots of unsecured trash bins and other stuff.
Sure, people were happy we were open during one, but the next day they went right back to being rude and entitled. Sometimes I wonder if working a customer service job that I have, even though that's not exactly what my job title is good for, was the right career choice.