QUEZON CITY — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has prepositioned a total of 255,076 boxes of family food packs (FFPs) that can be immediately distributed to families affected by Typhoon Julian (international name: Krathon).
These food packs are in the different storage facilities of DSWD Field Offices (FOs) in Region I, Region II, and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), the agency said in a news release on Tuesday, October 1, as it beefs up disaster response and relief efforts for the affected areas, especially as “Julian” intensified into a super typhoon.
DSWD spokesperson and Assistant Secretary for Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) and OSEC concerns Irene Dumlao said the agency currently maintains over P2.83 billion worth of stockpile and standby funds available for augmentation to local government units (LGUs).
During the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon aired over PTV 4, Dumlao said, “As we speak, ang atin pong National Resource Operations Center dito sa Pasay city ay nagsasaayos ng augmentation para sa mga apektadong lugar.”
(As we speak, our National Resource Operations Center in Pasay City is preparing augmentation for the affected areas.)
“Batay po ating monitoring, yun pong Rehiyon 2 ang talagang pinakaapektado, particularly Calayan and Batanes,” she added.
(Based on our monitoring, Region 2 was the hardest hit, particularly Calayan and Batanes.)
In the Oct. 1 report of the Disaster Response Operations Management, Information, and Communication (DROMIC), the agency said 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, the report added.
Dumlao said they have already provided nearly P1 million worth of humanitarian assistance to the affected localities in Regions 1 and 2 and the CAR, noting that these regions currently bore the brunt of the weather disturbance.
“So far, we have sent close to P1 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,” Dumlao said.
She added during the interview that the DSWD Field Office (FO) 1-Ilocos Region has delivered 1,000 FFPs to the LGU of Dingras in Ilocos Norte, while 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.
The DSWD 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, she further said. (PIA DMD)