Meralco: Customers affected by service interruptions due to Habagat down to 38K

The Manila Electric Company (Meralco) said that over 38,000 of its customers were affected by power service interruptions as of Monday morning due to the inclement weather.

As of 8 a.m., August 10, a total of 38,672 Meralco customers have no power as of reporting.

"The number of customers experiencing service interruptions has dropped to around 38,000 as we speak. That is down from the peak of almost 100,000 or 98,000 that we reported yesterday. That represents less than 1% of Meralco's total customer base," said Meralco Vice President and Head of Corporate Communications Joe Zaldarriaga in a press conference.

Most of the affected customers are in Cavite with 28,043. It was followed by Metro Manila with 3,293; Bulacan with 2,014; Rizal with 1,932; Laguna with 1,583; and Batangas with 591.

"Most of these are due to facilities damaged by the strong winds and rain. And Meralco is working non-stop to restore power service to the affected areas," said Zaldarriaga.

Meralco said that power restoration in the affected areas is possible either by tonight or tomorrow.

"For the majority of these 38,672 affected, this might be reduced by about half by tonight. And then by tomorrow, restoration will be almost complete, except in flooded areas," he added.

Further, the Meralco official advised the public to stay away from downed power lines, damaged electrical facilities, and electrical equipment that may have been submerged in floodwaters.

During floods, Meralco urged everyone to switch off the main electrical power switch or circuit breaker.

"If your appliances or electrical outlets got wet, have them checked first. Let us not use them right away. There are certified, licensed electricians available for this," said Zaldarriaga. —AOL, GMA News