Up to 95% of communication lines restored in Typhoon Odette-hit areas — DICT

Around 94% to 95% of communication lines in areas that were hit by Typhoon Odette in December 2021 have been restored, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said Tuesday.

In a radio interview, DICT Acting Secretary Emmanuel Rey Caintic said the availability of generator sets drove the restoration of communication, noting that power supply remained a problem for them.

“Nasa 94 to 95% pa lang ang last update namin. Dala pa yan ng mga generator sets (Around 94% to 95% have been restored based on the last update to us. That was actually due to generator sets),” he said.

“Ang power pa rin ang challenge natin doon sa  mga lugar na nasalanta pero buhay na ang karamihan . Yun sustainability of the power lines na lang (Power remains our challenge in the affected areas but most of them have supply. The matter was with the sustainability of the power lines),” he added.

According to him, Siargao, Dinagat Islands, Bohol, and Cebu have mobile signals.

The reported death toll due to Odette was at 409 while 65 were reported missing, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said.

A total of 8,709,417 people or 2,453,075 families were affected by the typhoon in 9,068 barangays. — Joviland Rita/RSJ, GMA News