Ilocos Norte without power, water due to Egay
An electric post in Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte was toppled by fierce winds brought by Typhoon Egay. | PHOTO: John Michael Mugas
LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte — Electricity and water services have yet to be restored on Thursday, July 27, in Ilocos Norte province in the wake of Typhoon Egay (international name Doksuri).
Egay, which ripped through Luzon, caused power shutdowns in the province after it brought torrential rains and strong winds that toppled electric posts.
The provincial government, in its latest situation report, said electricity and water services remained unavailable across the province.
Ilocos Norte electric cooperative director Jarius Mark Nalupta told the Inquirer that restoration efforts were underway, and that their linemen had been deployed to resolve the power outages.
No definite time span as to when the full restoration would be done as Nalupta said they were still assessing the situation on the ground.
Pasuquin, Burgos, Bangui, Pagudpud, and Adams towns, all in the northern portion of the province, were without power since Tuesday morning after heavy winds topped a piling crane at the Baldi Bridge in Pasuquin. It led to the crashing of the 69-kilovolt power transmission line, the provincial government said.
Local governments in the province had opened their doors to offer free charging services to the public.
PrimeWater Ilocos Norte, the primary water distribution utility in the province, also said in announcements that its pump stations have been “inoperable due to flooding” from Egay that may result in low water pressure to no water.
It said they were performing the “needed measures to address and resolve” the issues.
The provincial government, which is under a state of calamity, said they were still assessing the full extent of damage caused by Egay.
Imee Marcos asks OCD, DOE to restore electricity
Senator Imee Marcos has appealed to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and the Department of Energy (DOE) to help her province Ilocos Norte restore its electricity.
Marcos said Ilocos Norte, which has been affected by Typhoon Egay’s onslaught for 40 hours now, remains the only province in the region without power.
“Nananawagan kami ng tulong sa OCD pati na rin sa DOE kung maaari na tulungan kami na maibalik ang kuryente sa lalong madaling panahon ‘pagkat yung entire province wala pa ring kuryente,” Marcos, who heads the Senate social justice, welfare and rural development committee, said at the Kapihan sa Senado on Thursday.
(We are calling for help from the OCD and the DOE to help us regain electricity as soon as possible because the entire province is still without electricity.)
Citing the recent data from OCD, Marcos said Egay has displaced 2,000 locals within the Ilocos Region and affected roads and bridges in Ilocos Norte, which remain flooded.
She added that three bodies were already retrieved among the four locals missing in the municipality of Dingras.
She also plans to visit the province as soon as the flooded areas subside but assured that the local government of Ilocos Norte, along with other law enforcement agencies, has already started evacuating locals as they continue to monitor the weather situation within the area.
