Meralco gears up for Super Typhoon Mawar power disruptions

MANILA, Philippines — The Manila Electric Company, or Meralco, on Friday, tells the public it is prepared to address power outages that Super Typhoon Mawar may cause.

Mawar is a super typhoon forecast to enter the Philippine area of responsibility by Friday night and is expected to bring heavy rain over several parts of the country.

“As a 24–hour service company, we are ready to respond to these types of emergencies,” said Meralco vice president Joe Zaldarriaga in a statement.

“Our crews are on standby to attend to any trouble that may affect our facilities in areas that may be hit by the typhoon,” he added.

According to Zaldarriaga, Meralco had also already put measures in place to address the possible impact of Mawar, such as issuing advisories regarding precautionary measures.

Zaldarriaga then urged billboard owners and operators to roll their billboards up amid the upcoming storm, pointing it as one of the leading causes of power outages.

He also reminded the public to keep all communication channels open and to watch for Meralco advisories.

Safety tips on electronics in case of flood

Meanwhile, Meralco in the same statement, provided several reminders on the use of electronics in times of flooding, one of which is to ensure that the main power switch or circuit breaker is off.

Other reminders were:

Unplug appliances from wall sockets. Turn off permanently connected equipment and unscrew all light bulbs, if possible.

Remove mud and dirt from service equipment, the main circuit breaker/fuse, and its enclosure using rubber gloves and rubber-soled shoes.

Ensure that electrical wires, connectors, and other wiring devices are completely dry.

When all electrical wires and accessories have dried and are clean, ask a licensed electrician to check the wiring system. Do not turn on flood-damaged electrical appliances.

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