The National Electrification Administration (NEA) has started power restoration efforts for nearly three million households affected by Super Typhoon Uwan, which brought widespread flooding and downed power lines across several regions over the weekend.

As of 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 9, NEA said around 20 electric cooperatives in 12 regions had declared total power interruptions due to the impact of the typhoon. The storm affected areas in the Bicol region and the provinces of Aurora, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Northern Samar, and Samar.

NEA Administrator Antonio Mariano Almeda said the agency is closely monitoring the situation of 89 electric cooperatives across 55 provinces that were along the typhoon’s path. Of these, 32 reported normal operations while 34 experienced outages, leaving about 2.9 million consumers waiting for electricity to be restored.

Almeda explained that some outages were the result of safety measures implemented by utilities amidst strong winds and flooding. “Humihingi po kami ng konting understanding at pasensya… Hindi po madaling magbalik ng kuryente pag lagpas ng typhoon,” he said in an interview with DZMM Teleradyo.

He added that power lines and meters submerged in floodwaters must be thoroughly inspected before re-energizing to prevent accidents. 

“Lahat po yan ay i-i-inspect at gagawa ng line assessment ang mga electric cooperative to make sure wala pong disgrasya, lalong-lalo na po doon sa mga metro na lumubog sa baha. Masinsin po nilang ini-inspect po ‘yan just to make sure na walang madidisgrasya (Everything will be inspected, and the electric cooperatives will conduct line assessments to ensure safety, particularly for meters under floodwaters. They’re carrying out thorough inspections to prevent accidents),” he added. 

NEA’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Department (DRRMD) remains on full alert, coordinating resource deployment and manpower support to help affected electric cooperatives restore service as soon as conditions allow.

What measures do you think could help speed up power restoration efforts after major storms like Uwan?

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