The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) through its field offices (FOs) continues to provide relief augmentation to local government units (LGUs) in the Visayas and Mindanao regions that are still reeling from the effects of flooding incidents brought about by incessant rains due to the tail end of a cold front that occurred last week.

DSWD-FO CARAGA distributed relief assistance today to flood ​affected families in the municipality of Loreto in Agusan del Sur together with the congressional staff of the 2nd District of the province. The field office also provided non-food items (NFIs) in the form of malongs, mats, mosquito nets, and toiletries to flooding victims at Barangays Sagunto and Panaganangan, La Paz, Agusan del Sur the other day.

On the other hand, FO VII extended aid to affected residents living in far-flung areas in the region. The field office distributed sleeping kits containing mats, blankets, and mosquito nets to families at Sitio Tawagan II and Sitio Kang-irag in Barangay Sirao, which are both mountain barangays in Cebu City. It also provided relief assistance to landslide ​affected residents staying at SiraoIntegrated School, one of the evacuation centers in the area.

Meanwhile, FO X continues to extend aid to affected families who are still staying in 25 evacuation centers that are still open in the region. The field office distributed 1,682 food packs from  the Office of 2nd District Representative Maximo Rodriguez  to flood ​affected families at Barangays 24, 27, 30, 35, 36, Bugo, Cugman, and Puntod in Cagayan de Oro City.

As of  4pm today, the DSWD-Disaster Response Operations and Monitoring Center (DROMIC) reported that the tail end of a cold front has affected a total of 86,946 families or 419,113 individuals in 694 barangays in Regions NIR, VII, VIII, IX, X, XII, CARAGA, and ARMM.

Some 8,863 families or 45,736 persons are still staying in 98 evacuation centers set up by the LGUs, with the bulk of which located in the CARAGA Region.

The total number of damaged houses has increased to 579 in Regions VII, VIII, X, and CARAGA; of which, 355 were partially damaged and 224 were totally damaged.

To date, a total of P11,820,866.37 worth of assistance has been provided to affected families in Regions NIR, VII, VIII, X, XII, and CARAGA. Of the said amount, the Department has provided P9,708,724.83, while the LGUs provided P2,112,141.54.

The DSWD continues to coordinate with the provincial and municipal LGUs of the affected regions to monitor the status of the evacuees and to ensure the continuous provision of aid to them.

DSWD Secretary Judy M. Taguiwalo once again reiterated the importance of close coordination between the Department and the LGUs.

“Kailangan po ng DSWD ang mahigpit na koordinasyon at komunikasyon ng mga local government units para mahatiran ng tulong ang ating mga kababayang sinalanta ng pagbaha. Prayoridad ng ating tulong ay ang mga pinaka-mahihirap nating kababayan (The DSWD needs close coordination and communication with the LGUs in providing relief assistance to individuals affected  by  flooding. Our priority will be the poorest families),” she said. ###