Typhoon Ulysses lashed Luzon, caused massive flooding and toppled power lines that left millions of households without power Thursday morning.
Power retailer Manila Electric Co. said about 3.8 million households or 56 percent of its customer base in Luzon experienced power interruptions as of 5 a.m. Thursday.
"We are exerting all efforts to restore power soonest despite the constraints we are currently facing. Rest assured that Meralco will continue to conduct restoration efforts round the clock in order to address each and every customer who still have no power supply," Meralco corporate communications head Joe Zaldarriaga said.
"At the height of the typhoon, more than half of our customers were without power. It would take time to restore power in our whole franchise area. Our lines sustained heavy damage," Zaldarriaga said in an interview with GMA News.
Meralco said it deployed linemen to restore power in affected areas including Metro Manila, Southern Luzon and Central Luzon.
It said that as of 12 noon on Thursday, 2.2 million households or 31 percent of its customers still had no power.
Thousands of homes were submerged as Typhoon Ulysses dumped intense rain that at times matched the level recorded during the onslaught of Typhoon Ondoy in 2009.
Marikina River's water level exceeded 21 meters that overflowed to most villages in Marikina City. Rescue teams received appeal for help from residents trapped on the roof of their homes in Marikina City, Rodriguez and San Mateo, Rizal.
Villages in Bulacan towns were also submerged after Ipo Dam released water while Angat Dam announced the opening of one of its gates after the water level exceeded the normal high level of 210 meters.
Meralco said many of its customers in Bulacan, Cavite, Rizal, Laguna, Quezon Province, Caloocan, Quezon City, Marikina, Muntinlupa and Makati experienced power interruptions.
Meralco advised residents in flooded areas to shut the main switch of their circuit breaker.
For power restoration, Meralco advised customers to report through its official Facebook Messenger and Twitter accounts or via SMS.
"Please include helpful details such as Account Name, Service ID Number (SIN), Exact Address, Nearest Landmark, Contact Number and Contact Person," Meralco said.