'Carina's' damage on electric infra in Baguio, Benguet reaches P2.4-M

BAGUIO CITY — Super Typhoon Carina (International name: Gaemi) that brought extreme heavy rainfall and strong winds since Wednesday left the Benguet Electric Cooperative (Beneco) damage worth P2.4 million.

A substation recloser equipment worth more than P1 million, seven collapsed/damaged poles and three transformers made up the bulk of the P2.4 million damage to the distribution system, as of Thursday noon, the distribution utility said.

The cost of damage is expected to increase, as more reports come in from the farflung areas of Benguet, Beneco added.

Beneco said it has restored the power of 97.50 % of its affected Baguio City consumers. 

Ninety linemen alternated in the last 24 hours to address reports from consumers, local government units (LGUs) and partner government line agencies.

Landslides that caused damage to poles and made roads impassable hampered the restoration efforts in Atok, Benguet, while linemen had to grapple with heavy rains and strong winds to correct low sagging wires in Kapangan and Kibungan. Power in these two towns was restored on Thursday noon.

The electricity of the remaining towns of Benguet are almost 100% restored, Beneco added.

The cooperative has also advised its consumers to expect intermittent power interruptions in the next couple of days due to the unpredictability of the weather.

“As early as Sunday, Beneco has been monitoring the typhoon and has activated its rapid electricity restoration teams in consonance with our disaster mitigation action plans,” Beneco general manager Melchor Licoben said.