Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Judy Taguiwalo (4th from left) and Tuguegarao City Mayor Jefferson Soriano (5th from left) distribute food packs to the displaced families staying inside the Tuguegarao People’s Gym to show that an efficient disaster relief operations need the joint effort of the National Government and the Local Government Units.

A total of P6,130,750 worth of relief assistance has been provided to the victims of super typhoon ‘Lawin’ by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Local Government Units of the respected affected areas in Regions I, II, III, CAR, CALABARZON and V.

Of the total, DSWD provided P4,530,683 worth of assistance while the respective LGUs provided P1,600,067.

The report on the number of relief assistance is still expected to increase as the disaster relief operations is still on-going in all areas affected by ‘Lawin’.

Number of affected families

As of 2pm October 21, the Department received reports that the total number of affected families is 52,079 families or 220,439 persons in 874 barangays.  This is significantly higher than the number reported earlier.

Of the total families affected, around 43,671 families or 184,549 persons were displaced with 22,780 families staying in 642 evacuation centers while the remaining 12,677 families are with their relatives and friends.

To assist the LGUs in managing the evacuation centers, the DSWD has assigned social workers from the Central Office and the Field Offices who are experienced in camp management.

Reports on damaged houses

The DSWD is also starting to receive initial reports on damage to properties from the different regional offices.

Based from the latest report, there are 1,327 damaged houses in the affected regions, wherein 1,092 are partially damaged while 235 are totally damaged.

The Department is continuously coordinating with the LGUs of in the affected areas to get a clear picture of the situation in the community and expects these numbers to change in the coming days.

Continuing efforts on disaster response

The DSWD Quick Response Teams (QRTs) of the affected field offices are on a 24/7 operations and are in continuous coordination with the LGUs for the situational analysis and assessment of the effects of typhoon ‘Lawin’.

DSWD Secretary Judy M. Taguiwalo also attended the Cagayan Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CRDRRMC) to monitor the situation in Region II.  Further, the Secretary visited some evacuation centers and distributed family food packs to the families.

Secretary Taguiwalo said DSWD is ready to augment the needed resources of the LGUs, and commit that “whatever services the Department has will be made available to the affected.”

The repacking of family food packs are also continuously being done in the different warehouses of the DSWD, as well as in the affected regional offices to ensure that the Agency is prepared to adequately respond to the request for assistance.

The Secretary also said that those who are interested may also help the DSWD.  All those willing may volunteer their services in the repacking of goods.  “For those in Metro Manila, we advise those who want to volunteer to call (02) 856-3665 or 851-2680 for your preferred schedule and to ensure the smooth management of volunteers in the National Resource and Operations Center (NROC) in Pasay City.” ###

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