The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said it has so far provided some PHP26,659,839 worth of assistance to individuals affected by Super Typhoon ‘Rolly.’

The figure accounts funds from the DSWD, local government units, and non-government organizations, it said in its report.

The agency’s Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information Center (DROMIC), in its Thursday bulletin, said it has extended help to 301,487 families from 4,202 barangays in National Capital Region, Cagayan, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Eastern Visayas, and the Cordillera Administrative Region.

It said 34,700 families or 138,209 individuals are staying in 1,277 evacuation camps as of 6 a.m. Thursday.

Meanwhile, some 12,542 families opted to stay with their relatives in nearby provinces.

For food provision, the agency said it has disbursed PHP16.1 million as of Thursday.

Meanwhile, DSWD’s initial assessment of the totally damaged houses has surmounted to 11,032 houses. They added that 29,942 houses are partially damaged by the weather disturbance.

DSWD said it continues to coordinate with the logistics cluster of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council to ensure the quick delivery of assistance to affected areas.

DSWD Secretary Rolando Bautista earlier said the agency has prepared a budget for the rehabilitation and other recovery intervention initiatives for the victims.

One of these programs is the emergency shelter assistance which seeks to assist in the shelter reconstruction of typhoon victims in Bicol and Calabarzon.

“In the Bicol Region alone, there are 26,800 partially damaged houses and 10,740 totally-damaged houses,” DSWD said in a separate statement.

The agency also seeks to provide financial assistance under the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation to injured survivors and families of those who perished during the typhoon’s onslaught.

DSWD’s Quick Response Teams, on the other hand, said it continues to coordinate with concerned local government units to determine other interventions that could be implemented to help affected families cope with their situation.

Bautista, meanwhile, also assured that they are monitoring evacuation sites to maintain social distancing and other safety protocols mandated by the Inter-agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases. (PNA)