The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), in partnership with concerned local government units (LGUs) and other partner organizations, has provided humanitarian assistance worth PHP11.4 million to families affected by Tropical Storm Ada (international name Nokaen).

In a report on Monday, Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao of the DSWD’s Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) said around PHP11.1 million of this amount was sourced from the DSWD, while PHP230,145 came from the LGUs and PHP64,000 from other partners.

Based on the DSWD Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information Communication (DROMIC) report, a total of 165,702 families or 553,703 individuals have been affected by Ada in 855 barangays across Bicol, Eastern Visayas, and Caraga.

Of this number, 5,084 families or 18,615 individuals remain displaced and are currently staying either in evacuation centers or with relatives and friends.

Dumlao said DSWD field offices in the three regions have remained proactive in their disaster response operations.

“Patuloy po ang 24/7 monitoring ng DSWD kasabay ng agarang pag-deploy ng ating Quick Response Teams (QRTs) at relief resources. Nakahanda po tayong tugunan ang pangangailangan ng mga apektado ng Tropical Storm Ada (The DSWD continues its 24/7 monitoring along with the immediate deployment of QRTs and relief resources. We are ready to respond to the needs of the families affected by Ada),” the DSWD spokesperson said.

The DSWD field offices have distributed family food packs (FFPs) and Ready-to-Eat Food (RTEF) boxes to address immediate needs on the ground.

It also deployed specialized disaster response vehicles for the immediate provision of food and non-food items for the urgent needs of affected families and individuals.

To further sustain relief efforts, Dumlao said the DSWD has substantial standby resources available, including PHP32.15 million in Quick Response Fund (QRF) at the DSWD Central Office, PHP9.89 million available at its field offices in Bicol, Eastern Visayas, and Caraga, and an additional PHP32.96 million from other field offices that may be mobilized through inter-field office augmentation.

In terms of relief goods, the DSWD has a stockpile of 2.8 million FFPs prepositioned in disaster response centers and field offices nationwide, along with PHP1.33 billion worth of Food and Non-Food Items (FNIs) ready for distribution.

As relief and monitoring operations continue, Dumlao urged the public to remain vigilant and to rely only on official advisories regarding disaster updates. (PNA)