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CUC: 95 pct. of power restored
Three days after Tropical Storm Bavi wrought havoc throughout the CNMI, electric power to residents of Saipan is close to being fully restored, with the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. reporting that 95 percent of customers now have electricity.
In a statement yesterday, the utilities company said all feeders are up and its crews are continuing to work around the clock to restore full power to villages currently experiencing power outages. These include Kagman III, Capital Hill, Gualo Rai, As Perdido, Chalan Kiya, and Navy Hill.
“While all major population areas are energized, this does not minimize the impact and inconvenience to those customers still waiting for power,” CUC said in the statement.
The agency said that Bavi downed 10 power poles as well as uprooted 40 large trees that fell or were blown into power lines, damaging the power grid throughout the island. It said that over 30 downed power lines were initially identified, with most being restored.
Other repairs CUC conducted in the aftermath of the storm include working on downed transformers, pole tops, hardware, and numerous customer drop lines, mostly due to tree damage.
2 villages with limited water
With regards to water service, CUC said water has been returned to all the villages with the exception of certain parts of Garapan and the entire village of Gualo Rai due to power not being restored to some water wells.
The parts of Garapan that will have limited water service include homes and commercial establishments along Beach Road and Middle Road from San Jose to Garapan.
“Water service in these areas remains limited as some wells do not have power restored. We encourage extra conservation of water by all customers until the entire water system has been fully restored, particularly those areas listed above.”
CUC extended its apology for the inconvenience resulting from these service interruptions and said it is working to restore service as soon as possible.
If you are experiencing service problems following this outage, contact the CUC Call Center at 664-4CUC (664-4282).
