Power in some places hit by Ruby back by New Year

A Filipino family checks their damaged homes in Legazpi, Albay province, eastern Philippines Monday, Dec. 8, 2014 after strong waves from Typhoon Hagupit battered their coastal village. AP

MANILA, Philippines – Power has been restored in some areas hit by Typhoon Ruby, but other places still experiencing outages may have to wait until the New Year for electricity services to be fully restored, the authorities said Tuesday.

In Samar province, the authorities aim to restore power in Calbayog and Catbalogan within this week, Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho L. Petilla said in a radio interview.

In Eastern Samar, about 1,000 poles were knocked down but the Department of Energy, the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines, and local electricity cooperatives aim to restore power in major cities and towns around Christmas. The northernmost towns should have power restored before New Year.

Samar Electric Cooperative Inc. 1 and 2 have said they can handle the restoration work but Eastern Samar Electric Cooperative Inc. asked for help.

In Albay, the local distribution utility, Albay Electric Cooperative Inc., has restored energy services to all but two towns and work is still ongoing, according to the National Electrification Administration.

Also in the Bicol region, Masbate Electric Cooperative Inc. has restored power in Masbate City. The next areas of concern are the fishing villages in the northern and southern parts of the province, which bore the brunt of strong winds, Petilla said.

The DOE is working with private cooperatives and NGCP to have power restored in other areas such as Camarines Sur by Christmas, Petilla said.

There were no updates yet from Iloilo and Quezon provinces, Petilla said.