5 tips from Meralco on How to Prepare for a Typhoon
MANILA – Manila Electric Co (Meralco) has placed its personnel on alert in preparation for possible power outages that may result from Typhoon Ruby.
“As a 24–hour service company, we are committed to respond to these types of emergency. Our crews are on standby to attend to any trouble that may affect our facilities in areas that might be hit by the typhoon,” Meralco public information office head Joe Zaldarriaga said in a statement
The country’s biggest electricity distributor said it has put in place necessary measures to mitigate the possible impact of the typhoon, and has issued advisories on the appropriate precautionary measures to take before a typhoon.
“Meralco, for instance, has consistently requested billboard owners and operators to temporarily roll their billboards up to prevent these structures from being toppled by the strong winds,” Zaldarriaga said.
Billboards that fall on electrical facilities are among the main reasons for power outages during strong typhoons.
Apart from these measures, Meralco gave the following safety tips on using electrical devices and appliances in case of flooding:
1) Ensure that the main electrical power switch or circuit breaker is off. Be sure to be dry at all times while being in contact with any electrical facility.
2) Unplug appliances from wall sockets. Turn off permanently-connected equipment and unscrew all light bulbs if possible.
3) Remove mud and dirt from service equipment or main circuit breaker/fuse and its enclosure using rubber gloves and rubber soled shoes.
4) Make sure that all electrical wires, connectors and other wiring devices are completely dry.
5) When all electrical wires and accessories have dried and are clean, the wiring system of all appliances must be checked by a licensed electrician. Do not turn on flood-damaged electrical appliances.
Zaldarriaga also called on the public to keep all channels of communication open and ready by charging their mobile phones, laptops, radios, and other communication gadgets. Customers may tune in to the different public service radio stations should power interruptions occur.
The Meralco Call Center is also ready to respond to customer concerns. Customers may text their concerns to 0920-9716211 (Smart), 0925-7716211 (Sun), and 0917-5516211 (Globe). In case of emergency, they may also get in touch with the Call Center at 16211.
For regular updates, customers may also visit Meralco’s website, Facebook page and Twitter account (@meralco).
InterAksyon.com is the online news portal of TV5, which like Meralco is chaired by Manuel V. Pangilinan.