|
The effects of Typhoon Frank will continue to be felt
today, as classes in several parts of Luzon are suspended and
utility workers rush to restore electricity to many areas.
“Considering risk of flooding
and Habagat winds, classes at all levels are will be suspended
tomorrow in Metro Manila, Cavite, Rizal, Batangas, Bulacan, Pampanga,
Tarlac, Pangasinan, Zambales, Bataan, La Union, Benguet and Ilocos
Norte,” according to an advisory released Sunday by the Department
of Education.
“Furthermore, and depending on
actual conditions in a locality, the local government and school
authorities may exercise their discretion to suspend classes,” the
advisory added.
Brownout in capital
A large part of the franchise
area of the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) was affected by power
outages after the typhoon pummeled Metro Manila and the rest of
Luzon early Sunday morning.
Meralco said the areas affected
were portions of Metro Manila and the adjacent provinces of Bulacan
and Laguna. As of 11 a.m. Sunday, 171 circuits or roughly a fourth
of Meralco’s total circuits still have no power.
Areas that still have no power as
of noon Sunday include portions of Malabon and Meycauayan in Bulacan;
San Pedro, Laguna; and in the metropolis, Novaliches, Las Piñas,
Parañaque, Pasay, Sta. Mesa, Manila and Marikina.
The utility was able to restore
electricity to just half of its downed circuits by 2 p.m.
The state-owned National Power
Corp. (Napocor) said some of its power-generating facilities were
also affected by the typhoon, which damaged transmission and
distribution lines.
Napocor sells electricity to the
country’s electric utilities, including Meralco, as well as to
large industries.
“For today, we expect the peak
demand to reach almost 5,000 megawatts. Our available supply is
almost 7,000 megawatts. However, due to transmission and
distribution line constraints caused by Typhoon Frank, the system
can accommodate only about 4,500 megawatts,” Napocor reported
Sunday.
Napocor said it is working
closely with the National Transmission Corp. (TransCo) to address
the situation.
Stay away from Angat
The state power company likewise
advised the public living near spillways and waterways of its dams
to evacuate and go to higher levels as it may have to release water
to prevent damages to the facilities.
At present, Angat Dam’s water
elevation is at 196.10 meters. Its spilling level is 215 meters, but
with heavy rains, water in the dam is beginning to swell.
“San Roque Dam in Pangasinan,
on the other hand, is still very far from its spilling level of 280
meters, at only 245 meters,” Napocor said.
Clear phone lines
Nixon Hao, Meralco vice president
and energy management head, asked the public not to clog the
utility’s phone lines and limit their calls to the Meralco call
center to report fallen electrical posts and wires only.
“Customers do not have to
report power outages in their areas, since this is already being
monitored and handled by Meralco personnel and linemen who are
deployed in the field. We are asking for our customers’
cooperation so we can quickly restore power to your area,” he
said.
Hao instead urged the public to
instead text their concerns at 0917-5592824 or 0920-9292824.
LRT lost millions
The Light Rail Transit Authority
has lost millions of pesos owing to service disruption Sunday caused
by Typhoon Frank, said spokesman Jinky Jorgio.
In LRT Line 1, which runs from
Baclaran to Monumento, Jorgio said the estimated revenue losses from
5 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. is P2.1 million. That line was unable to serve
250,000 people that it usually carries on Sundays.
She added that Line 2, from
Santolan to Recto, lost about P540,000 from 5 a.m to 1 p.m,
affecting 40,000 passengers.
“Since early 5 a.m. Sunday, the
LRT Lines 1 and 2 failed to operate because of the power outage,”
Jorgio said.
Roberto Lastimoso, general
manager of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 3, said the system,
which runs from North Avenue in Quezon City to Taft Avenue in Pasay,
has yet to resume operations because of the power outage.
The MRT 3 stopped operations at
6:55 a.m., Lastimoso said.
--Euan Paulo C. Añonuevo And Darwin G. Amojelar With
James Konstantin Galvez
|
