Power restored to 811,000 Nina-hit households

MANILA, Philippines – Power has been restored to more than 811,000 households in the Bicol and Southern Tagalog regions following outages caused by Typhoon Nina (Nock-ten), the National Electrification Administration (NEA) said.

In a statement on Sunday, January 1, the Department of Energy (DOE) quoted a NEA report as saying that “household restoration stood at 45.95% or a total of 811,327 households served” as of December 30.

Affected areas in Albay, Sorsogon, and Camarines Sur should also expect improvements in the coming days as the Naga-Daraga and Naga-Pili-Iriga power lines have been restored. 

The Tabaco Substation serving Tabaco City in Albay province is ready to receive power, according to the Albay Power and Energy Corporation (APEC). 

For Oriental Mindoro, 7 towns are fully re-energized while partial restoration has been effected in the towns of Socorro, Pola, Baco, Calapan, Naujan, and Victoria.

The DOE said that it will deploy more people for a target of 100% restoration before the holidays end.

Relief assistance

The Virac Airport in Catanduanes has also been re-energized and operational since Saturday, December 31.

This will allow relief efforts to reach the hard-hit province.

As of Sunday, aid amounting to P158,282,150* ($3.193 million) has been given to affected families, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said in a statement.

DSWD Secretary Judy Taguiwalo reminded the public to inquire with their local goverment units (LGUs) to make sure that aid reaches them.

“DSWD does not have enough manpower to provide the relief goods to the household level.  Thus, the family food packs provided by DSWD are with the LGUs.  Disaster relief response is primarily the responsibility of the LGUs, with the DSWD ready to augment their resources,” Taguiwalo said.

DSWD is still preparing its response to shelter needs of affected residents. Over 239,000 homes were damaged by the typhoon, and 46,850 familes remain in evacuation centers as of Sunday. – Lian Nami Buan/Rappler.com

*$1 = P49.56