One-two punch for CUC

Barely recovered from the onslaught of Typhoon Tingting in late June, the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. is again facing various maintenance and repair problems—from tree branches on power lines to down power poles.

Based on CUC’s preliminary status report, 15 power lines were down and two transformers had blown out as of 9am Monday.

At 4pm yesterday, most parts of Saipan had yet to have their electricity supply restored, said Pamela Mathis, CUC special adviser for corporate communications.

All CUC customers relying on power from Kiyas 1 to 4 lacked electrical power. The affected villages include Chalan Kiya, Kannat Tabla, Dandan, Fina Sisu, San Vicente, Papago, Koblerville, As Perdido, Chalan Piao, Afetnas, Chalan Kanoa, Susupe, and San Jose.

Mathis said these areas, except for some isolated parts, were expected to have their power supply back by Monday evening.

She also reported that half of the areas getting power from Feeders 1, 4, and 7 were still experiencing power outage as of 4pm yesterday. Villages affected are Upper Navy Hill, Capitol Hill,, Kagman, San Roque, As Matuis and Marpi.

According to Mathis, the most work that still needs to be done involves Feeder 2, which supplies power to Beach Road, Garapan, Puerto Rico, Chalan Laulau, Quartermaster, and San Jose. At least two power poles have fallen within the area.

Mathis said CUC yesterday directed its two teams of personnel to both work during daytime yesterday. “Light is precious. There are a lot of repair work that just can’t be done at night,” she said.

Various water wells and booster pumps have also been offline since Sunday evening, according to a report by CUC water manager Jesus Castro. The wells and pumps will be operational once power is restored in their respective areas.

The off-line water wells were located in Gualo Rai, Kagman, As Matuis, Isley Field, San Vicente, Dandan, Koblerville, As Lito, and Chalan Kiya.

“Due to power outages during the typhoon, consistent distribution of adequately treated public water supply will not be possible. Therefore, the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. is advising the general public to please boil the water prior to consumption,” CUC said. “If boiling is impractical due to lack of electrical power, water can be purified by adding a small amount of household bleach, such as Clorox or Purex.”

CUC instructed customers to follow this dosage:
Container size Amount of bleach
1 gallon 5 drops
5 gallons 20 drops
55 gallons 1 teaspoon
100 gallons 2 teaspoons
500 gallons 2 tablespoons
1,000 gallons 4 tablespoons

“Allow the water to stand in a covered container for at least 30 minutes before using. Lastly, if the abovementioned is not desired or not possible, bottled water are available at your convenient stores,” CUC said.