The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) has released housing recovery grants to 36 families in Catarman, Northern Samar, displaced by last year’s strong typhoon, officials announced Wednesday.

Distributed under the Integrated Disaster Shelter Assistance Program, the financial aid targets residents whose homes were destroyed or damaged by Typhoon Tino in November 2025.

Of the beneficiaries, 19 households with destroyed homes received PHP50,000 each, while 17 families with partially damaged houses received PHP20,000 each.

Catarman Mayor Dianne Rosales noted that the funds are critical for helping these families rebuild in safer areas, away from the high-risk coastal “no-build zones” in Barangay Cawayan, where their original homes were washed away.

“The assistance will significantly help our constituents relocate to higher ground and secure their future against upcoming disasters,” Rosales said during the turnover.

The shoreline in Barangay Cawayan has already been cleared of debris. To prevent future casualties, local officials have committed to strictly enforcing the no-settlement policy on the vacated coastal lots.

The relief effort was a joint operation between the DHSUD Eastern Visayas regional office, the Catarman municipal government, and local social welfare and disaster risk offices. (PNA)