Wandersome
Registered
I just got done with a trip around the "zone". I've never dove that side of the Philippines so I don't know the dive sites but I can chat about the region.
Cebu, Cebu city light damage. Power has been restored to the city and close areas. North Cebu took a hit and will be awhile before the power and facilities are restored. Some roofs lost and the power sector destroyed but other than that light damage.
Iloilo island. The city made it through pretty good. Aklan and other areas had damage similar to north Cebu. Power is out and will be for awhile. Main trunk lines will be operational in a few weeks but taps out to some smaller sites will take a few months.
The island of Leyete.... Tacloban and the coast was destroyed. Main lines will be up soon but the problem is the transmission and generation side of things. Storm surge was the major issue. One person I talked to said it was 3 stories high and some of the places I saw made me believe it. The power cooperative serving Tacloban lost everything and several employees. Crews are working major hours to get it restored. They and their families are living in the office with no roof or shelter while the y are rebuilding the lines to get the power back on to the hospitals and government buildings. Some of the factories and most of the buildings simply blew away or floated away. The supply to the cooperative power substations are a major issue. Some of the towers in my opinion will take many months to be repaired and back on line. They have power stations (generation) but some were damaged and the repair parts are custom and will take time to get sorted. They also had damage to some of the substation power transformers that may cause issue. Replacing custom made 5 and 10 MVA transformers and related metering and switchgear are problematic. Ormuk has power issues but will be back operational on a minimal basis soon. The ferries are running from Cebu to Ormuk and the city is operational.
Bohol, we did not go there but heard they were lightly damaged. The issue again is that they are fed from Cebu and Leyete. Local generation is less than 20% of the load so load shedding will continue until the transmission lines are fixed.
Other parts of the Philippines are unaffected overall. Take your vacation and give cash to the economy....
Shout out to Danny at Poseidon Dive Center Au Nang, Thailand. Thanks for packing my gear and getting it to where it could be sent back to me after my dive holiday was cut short to advance scout the Philippines! You guys are awesome! And I'll see you in a few months to finish those dives!
Cebu, Cebu city light damage. Power has been restored to the city and close areas. North Cebu took a hit and will be awhile before the power and facilities are restored. Some roofs lost and the power sector destroyed but other than that light damage.
Iloilo island. The city made it through pretty good. Aklan and other areas had damage similar to north Cebu. Power is out and will be for awhile. Main trunk lines will be operational in a few weeks but taps out to some smaller sites will take a few months.
The island of Leyete.... Tacloban and the coast was destroyed. Main lines will be up soon but the problem is the transmission and generation side of things. Storm surge was the major issue. One person I talked to said it was 3 stories high and some of the places I saw made me believe it. The power cooperative serving Tacloban lost everything and several employees. Crews are working major hours to get it restored. They and their families are living in the office with no roof or shelter while the y are rebuilding the lines to get the power back on to the hospitals and government buildings. Some of the factories and most of the buildings simply blew away or floated away. The supply to the cooperative power substations are a major issue. Some of the towers in my opinion will take many months to be repaired and back on line. They have power stations (generation) but some were damaged and the repair parts are custom and will take time to get sorted. They also had damage to some of the substation power transformers that may cause issue. Replacing custom made 5 and 10 MVA transformers and related metering and switchgear are problematic. Ormuk has power issues but will be back operational on a minimal basis soon. The ferries are running from Cebu to Ormuk and the city is operational.
Bohol, we did not go there but heard they were lightly damaged. The issue again is that they are fed from Cebu and Leyete. Local generation is less than 20% of the load so load shedding will continue until the transmission lines are fixed.
Other parts of the Philippines are unaffected overall. Take your vacation and give cash to the economy....
Shout out to Danny at Poseidon Dive Center Au Nang, Thailand. Thanks for packing my gear and getting it to where it could be sent back to me after my dive holiday was cut short to advance scout the Philippines! You guys are awesome! And I'll see you in a few months to finish those dives!
