About 112,784 family food packs (FFPs) have been distributed to cities and towns affected by Typhoon Odette in Eastern Visayas in the past three weeks, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) reported on Wednesday.
The number of FFPs delivered to local governments represents 106 percent of the projected population of about 106,705 in badly-hit communities, according to the DSWD.
“Although we have already covered all the target population, the DSWD will continue to release food packs based on (the) request for augmentation from local governments,” DSWD 8 (Eastern Visayas) information officer Abelardo Bibat said.
The DSWD released 19,332 FFPs in Leyte for the towns of Dulag, Hilongos, Hindang, Matalom, Tacloban City, Bato, Inopacan, Javier, Abuyog, and Mahaplag.
In Southern Leyte, recipients of 92,452 FFPs are the towns of Anahawan, Hinunangan, Hinundayan, St. Bernard, San Juan, Silago, Liloan, Pintuyan, San Francisco, San Ricardo, Bontoc, Libagon, Limasawa, Maasin City, Macrohon, Malitbog, Padre Burgos, Sogod, and Tomas Oppus.
The agency also delivered 1,000 food packs to Mercedes town in Eastern Samar province.
The DSWD has spent PHP64.6 million for the procurement of food supplies intended for families affected by the strong typhoon in Eastern Visayas.
Each FFP contains 6 kg. of rice, four cans of corned beef, four cans of tuna flakes, two cans of sardines, five sachets of coffee, and five sachets of cereal drink, which are enough for a family of five for two to three days.
The DSWD has been coordinating with other members of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council to fast-track the distribution of family food packs.
Aside from FFPs, the DSWD also provided 3,740 hygiene kits, 2,667 kitchen sets, 32 sleeping kits, and 1,500 boxes of collapsible water containers to various communities in Leyte and Southern Leyte provinces.
On December 16, “Odette” barreled through Caraga and Eastern Visayas with maximum sustained winds of 195 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 270 kph. After hitting Surigao, it made two landfalls in Southern Leyte before devastating Central Visayas. (PNA)
