The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has released PHP125 million worth of assistance to families in Eastern Visayas (Region 8) badly affected by Typhoon Odette in the past six weeks, the agency reported on Wednesday.

A total of 173,340 family food packs (FFPs) worth PHP101 million have been distributed to typhoon victims in the provinces of Southern Leyte, Leyte, and Eastern Samar said DSWD Eastern Visayas regional director Grace Subong.

Each FFP contains six kilos 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.

It is sufficient for a family of five for two to three days.

“We have projected to release 106,000 food packs to Typhoon Odette victims in the region, but we have been producing more since there are still requests from local government units for more food packs. There are areas where we have done the second and third round of distribution,” Subong said in a phone interview.

In terms of non-food items, some PHP24 million worth of supplies have been delivered to typhoon victims in Southern Leyte and Leyte provinces.

Non-food supplies include hygiene kits, kitchen sets, sleeping kits, collapsible water containers, and laminated sacks.

The DSWD released FFPs in Leyte for the towns of Dulag, Hilongos, Hindang, Matalom, Tacloban City, Bato, Inopacan, Javier, Abuyog, and Mahaplag.

In Southern Leyte, recipients are from 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 food packs to Mercedes town in Eastern Samar province.

Since typhoon-hit areas are now in the early recovery phase, the DSWD will just send assistance to areas that need most, according to Subong.

The DSWD has been coordinating with other members of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council to fast-track the distribution of post-typhoon aids.

On December 16, “Odette” barreled through Caraga and Eastern Visayas regions 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)