QUEZON CITY — As Typhoon Julian intensified into a Super Typhoon, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is stepping up the agency’s disaster response and relief efforts for affected areas, a DSWD official reported on Tuesday, October 1.
“For the past consecutive days, we have been communicating non-stop with our Field Offices (FOs) and concerned local government units (LGUs) so that we can immediately provide relief augmentation to their disaster response operations. We are even more alert right now as the PAG-ASA announced earlier in the morning that Julian is now a Super Typhoon,” DSWD Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao, who is also the agency spokesperson, said.
Based on the October 1 report of the Disaster Response Operations Management, Information, and Communication (DROMIC), the agency has already provided nearly Php1 million worth of humanitarian assistance to the affected localities in Regions 1 (Ilocos Region), 2 (Cagayan Valley) and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR). These regions currently bore the brunt of the weather disturbance.
“So far, we have sent close to Php1 million worth of relief aid, however, we are ready to provide more as we coordinate with the concerned LGUs on the status of affected families,” the DSWD spokesperson pointed out.
On September 30, the DSWD Field Office (FO) 1-Ilocos Region delivered 1,000 FFPs to the LGU of Dingras in Ilocos Norte to help with their disaster response to communities hit by the super typhoon in the town.
The DSWD FO 2-Cagayan Valley also distributed food and non-food items to disaster-affected residents from the municipalities of Santa Ana, Santa Praxedes, Pamplona, Aparri, and Santa Teresita in Cagayan province.
“We also delivered 64,289 FFPs to the LGUs of Abra, Baguio City, Benguet, Ifugao, and Mountain Province that have been under extreme weather conditions due to hoisted signals,” Asst. Secretary Dumlao said.
As of press time, a total of 29,933 families or 99,041 persons from 311 barangays in Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley and CAR have been affected by the onslaught of Super Typhoon Julian.
Of this number, 372 families or 1,099 persons are currently taking temporary shelter in 54 evacuation centers.
“These numbers may still change as our disaster teams continue to gather and send reports of affected families,” Asst. Secretary Dumlao pointed out.
The DRMG official reiterated the agency has sufficient funds and resources to provide relief augmentation to the affected LGUs.
“The DSWD currently maintains over Php2.83B worth of stockpile and stand by funds available for augmentation to LGUs,” Asst. Secretary Dumlao said.
A total of 255,076 boxes of FFPs are also prepositioned in the different storage facilities of DSWD FOs I, II and CAR that can be immediately distributed to the affected families, according to the DRMG asst. secretary. (DSWD)
