The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) reported Wednesday that it has provided more than PHP2.3 million worth of humanitarian assistance to families affected by Tropical Storm Kristine.

“The DSWD has already provided PHP2,326,978.60 worth of food and non-food items (NFIs) to the affected local government units (LGUs), specifically in the provinces of Albay, Camarines Sur, and Sorsogon in Bicol Region; Bacolod City in Region 6 (Western Visayas); and North Cotabato in Soccsksargen,” Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao said.

Dumlao said volunteers in the National Resource Operations Center (NROC) in Pasay City are continuously helping repack and haul family food packs (FFPs) to ensure sufficient stockpiles are available in the department’s main disaster response hub.

As of press time, 2,071,884 boxes of FFPs were available across all regions, of which, 176,381 boxes were available in the NROC; 247,263 boxes in the Visayas Disaster Resource Center; and 101,371 boxes in the spokes and last mile warehouses of DSWD 5 (Bicol Region).

Based on the 6 a.m. report of the DSWD-Disaster Response Operations Management, Information and Communication (DROMIC), 112,437 families or 457,489 individuals from 815 barangays in Cagayan Valley, Mimaropa, Bicol Region, Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Soccsksargen, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) have been affected by Kristine.

Of this number, 4,092 families or 15,715 individuals are seeking temporary shelter in 267 evacuation centers set up by LGUs in the affected regions.

The Quick Response Teams and Municipal Action Teams of DSWD field offices in the affected regions were also deployed to assist LGUs in the management of evacuation centers and related concerns. (PNA)