MANILA, Philippines – The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) began on Saturday, December 18, to work on restoring the transmission towers and poles that were toppled by Typhoon Odette (Rai).

As of 11:40 pm on Saturday, there are 26 138kV lines that are unavailable and affecting the entire province of Surigao del Norte, parts of Surigao del Sur, parts of Agusan del Sur, entire provinces of Cebu and Bohol, and entire Leyte and Samar islands.

An earlier Facebook post said NGCP’s restoration is ongoing for transmission facilities serving Samar, Leyte, Negros, Bohol, Cebu, Iloilo, Antique, Surigao and Agusan provinces, Compostela Valley, Davao Oriental, Lanao del Norte, and Misamis Occidental.

Based on its complete assessment of Mindanao, the NGCP found 134 toppled poles in Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, and Agusan del Sur.

Meanwhile, line inspection continues in Visayas. In another Facebook post, the NGCP said that toppled towers were found along the lines between Cebu Substation and Colon Substation in Naga, and Calong-calong Substation in Toledo.

They are considering interim measures to speed up the restoration process in Cebu, including the restoration of lines from Leyte geothermal power plants or the transmission of power from South Cebu through the installation of an emergency restoration system.

Transmission services were fully restored to the provinces of Capiz, Camiguin, and Misamis Oriental, on Friday, December 17, and Zamboanga del Sur on Thursday, December 16.

Typhoon Odette, one of the deadliest tropical cyclones to hit the Philippines this year, exited the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Saturday. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council has so far reported 31 deaths due to the storm. – Rappler.com