QUEZON CITY -- As part of its preparedness measures, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), through its Field Offices (FOs), is now closely coordinating with concerned local government units (LGUs) affected by the inclement weather brought by Severe Tropical Storm Florita in Luzon.
The DSWD Central Office dispatched on Monday, August 22, some 10,000 Family Food Packs (FFPs) bound for DSWD FO II, which will be allocated for the following areas: 1,600 FFPs to Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office of Quirino; 3,400 FFPs to Social Welfare and Development Isabela; and 5,000 FFPs to DSWD Warehouse in Ugac, Tuguegarao City.
In the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), the DSWD CAR has activated its Quick Response Teams (QRTs) at the Regional Operations Center for continuous monitoring of their respective areas of responsibility.
Meanwhile, in Bicol Region, the Provincial Action Teams (PATs) and Municipal Action Teams (MATs) in all six provinces within the region were instructed to coordinate with their respective counterparts in the LGUs for significant disaster response updates.
The Rapid Deployment Team (RDT) of DSWD FO III is now coordinating with the DSWD Provincial Extension Offices in the region for on-the-ground information.
In Ilocos Region and Cagayan Valley Region, DSWD FO I and FO II already attended
their Pre-Disaster Risk Assessment (PDRA) meetings with their Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council counterparts.
As of August 23, the Department has stockpiles and standby funds amounting to more than P1.7 billion for its disaster response operations. From the said amount, more than P848 million is the available standby funds in the Central Office and DSWD FOs, while there are 480,036 FFPs amounting to more than P283 million, other food items amounting to more than P190 million, and non-food items amounting to more than P436 million which are prepositioned strategically in various locations around the country.
The DSWD also urged citizens to heed the warnings of their local leaders to prevent any untoward incidents brought by the inclement weather. (DSWD)
