Powerless, waterless Cebu after Yolanda

CEBU, Philippines - Many areas in Cebu, which are within the franchise area of the Visayan Electric Company (VECO) and the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD), will remain without power and water for the next 48 hours.

VECO corporate communications manager Theresa Gonzales-Sederiosa said the power company implemented a total blackout in its franchise area starting 10a.m. yesterday and, as of last night, power was restored only in Ermita, Calamba and Carreta in Cebu City after their respective feeders went online.

VECO's Facebook post at about 12 noon yesterday said it was the first time in 22 years that the power company had to go offline.

"For the first time in 22 years, we had to go offline with zero load in the VECO franchise area. Power will be restored once the conditions will allow us to re-energize. Your VECO team is here for you, Visayas," the FB post said.

The utility company's franchise area is from Cebu City to Liloan town in the north and to San Fernando town in the south.

Sederiosa said that they have dispatched their feeder patrollers (motorcycle-riding patrollers) to go around their franchise area to inspect their lines and poles.

She said that many of their poles were damaged and there were also reports of transformers that exploded at the height of super typhoon Yolanda. Sederiosa added that the total blackout happened when the power lines of their power suppliers were also damaged during the storm.

As of 5:30 pm yesterday, Sederiosa said that repair of their damaged feeders are still ongoing but she could not tell which feeder will be energized next.

As a result of VECO's total blackout, consumers of MCWD also went waterless starting 11a.m. yesterday.

Ernesto Delco, MCWD assistant general manager for operations, said that by that time, their reservoir was already empty.

As of yesterday, MCWD restored 50,000 cubic meters of its supply or 25 percent of its total production due to the deployment of gensets. Delco, however, said that this is still very far from their 100,000 cubic meter target.

He said that if the blackout continues in the next 48 hours, MCWD will resort to water service rotations or water rationing to affected areas.

"There will be a water service interruption gyud, kung magpadayon ang blackout," Delco said, adding that they will be deploying 20 gensets today to various areas to pump more water.

MCWD general manager Armando Paredes likewise assured the public that none of their facilities were damaged by the typhoon.

An MCWD advisory said that in order to give way to repairs done by VECO in Liloan and Talamban, restoration of water supply in these areas will take longer. It added that in Jaclupan, Talisay, two of MCWD's 15 wells were inundated by the overflow of the Mananga River and that MCWD has to wait for floodwaters to subside so as not to pump mudwater to its wells. —/QSB (FREEMAN)