TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, Jan. 14 (PIA) -- Even if Bohol Electric Cooperative I (BOHECO-1) can finish fixing its last served lateral lines as planned on April 15, and even if the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) can restore the ruined power lines that transmit geothermal power from Leyte, some 28,395 households might still not get their active power connections.

These households have been declared totally damaged, according to BOHECO teams, and can not be reenergized until these are fixed or rebuilt.

The town covered by BOECO I which sustained the heaviest damage is Inabanga, where 7,269 households have been either totalled by the steady gusts of wind that reached 285 kilometers per hour, or the surging waters of Wahig River caused by flashfloods in its upper tributaries and the storm surge that caught coastal residents unaware.

After Inabanga, the next worst-hit in BOHECO I service area is Tubigon, where 3,438 households have been destroyed, majority of these in the mountain barangays that protected the town from the initial rampage, and then the coastal and island barangays when the storm’s tail winds brought another rampaging sustained winds from the northwest.

Owing to the sheer size of Loon, 2,863 households were totally destroyed and the service linemen can not put up the connections back if these houses are not restored and up again.

In the town of Clarin, 2,327 houses have been damaged, left in shambles or roofs ripped apart, and these have been rendered impossible to restore its power connections.

In Antequera, BOHECO I lost 2,103 houses and active connections, the fifth largest damage in their service area.

Its border town on the east was also not spared from the destructive wrath of Odette as it left Catigbian a trail of destruction leaving 1,454 household connections cut off permanently.

In Carmen,  the super storm wrecked 1,423 houses and totaled its active connections.

Believed to be on the safer side of the island, Dauis still sustained a total of 1,000 damaged houses with active BOHECO connections.

The rest of BOHECO-served towns sustained damage, the least of which is Sikatuna, where 62 households have been rendered unsafe and could not be re-energized until rebuilt.

BOHECO 1 has restored 17% of its storm-damaged poles or some 864 of 4,491 as of Day 28 of power rehabilitation after the big storm.

It has also restored 84% or 455 of its 539 damaged backbone lines which connect the NGCP supplied power to the local substations that distribute the power to households.

From the substations, where power is stepped down to be slowly distributed to barangays, BOHECO reports 4,452 damaged posts serving its lateral lines.

On this, they have restored 9% or 409 of 4,452 posts.

While the poser distribution facility that serves 26 towns in Bohol has reportedly re-energized 2,129 household connections, it is still 1.15% of its 185,315 active household connections.

Of the 26 towns under its service area, BOHECO said it has fixed lines leading to 189 barangays and these are ready to receive power once the NGCP can supply what is available, which, without the Leyte connection getting fixed, is still below the total power requirement for Bohol. (RAHC/PIA7 Bohol)