Village officials help motorists in passing underneath an electric post topped by Typhoon Odette in Lapuz, Iloilo City on Dec. 17, 2021. Kat Domingo, ABS-CBN News
MANILA (UPDATED)— Around 3.16 million Filipinos do not have electricity at home after Typhoon Odette knocked out power lines in their areas during its onslaught, a government official said Friday.
Energy Undersecretary Wimpy Fuentebella, during a public briefing, said that of the 3.16 million experiencing power outages, 490,000 are in the Visayas and the rest are from Mindanao.
Aas of 3 p.m. Friday, provinces still without power are:
- Northern Samar
- Samar
- Eastern Samar
- Biliran
- Leyte
- Southern Leyte
- Bohol
- Surigao del Norte
Provinces with partial power transmission service are:
- Antique
- Iloilo
- Cebu
- Negros Oriental
- Misamis Occidental
- Lanao del Norte
- Agusan del Norte
- Agusan del Sur
- Surigao del Sur
- Davao Oriental
Fuentebella said power and local officials are doubling their efforts to restore electricity in affected areas.
The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines said that as of 10 p.m., 33 transmission lines in the entire province of Surigao del Norte, parts of Surigao del Sur, parts of Agusan del Sur, entire province of Bohol, and entire Leyte and Samar Islands are still unavailable.
"NGCP has mobilized its line crews and is currently conducting ground patrols to inspect and assess the impact of the typhoon to its operations and facilities, and simultaneous restoration activities are being conducted on the areas already accessible," it said in a Facebook post.
Odette, the 15th tropical cyclone to enter the Philippines this year, barreled across the southern and central regions of the country.
The typhoon has killed 12 people and injured several others, officials said.
Over 332,000 people sought emergency shelter due to fears of landslide and flooding, while scores of flights were also canceled and dozens of ports temporarily closed across the country, the state disaster response agency said.
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