DSWD extends over P4M in initial relief aid to Kanlaon-affected LGUs

More than P4.39 million worth of relief aid has so far been extended by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) as resource augmentation to local government units (LGUs) affected by the eruption of Mt. Kanlaon in Negros Island.

"With the ongoing disaster operations that started right after the eruption of Mt. Kanlaon on Monday, our Field Offices 6 (Western Visayas) and 7 (Central Visayas) continue to send family food packs to Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental, on top of those already prepositioned, to help our LGUs respond to the needs of their constituents," Asst. Secretary Irene Dumlao of the DSWD's Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) said on Wednesday (December 11).

Of the total assistance given through the LGUs of Negros Occidental, the bulk of P4.3 million went to the Cities of Bago and La Carlota; and to the Municipalities of La Castellana, Murcia, and Pontevedra.

"We continue to coordinate with the concerned LGUs to ensure that timely assistance will be provided to the affected families, as committed by Secretary Gatchalian during his meeting with local officials of the two provinces of Negros Island last Tuesday (December 10)," Asst. Secretary Dumlao said.

A total of 10,993 families or 37,699 persons from 23 barangays in Western (Region 6) and Central Visayas (Region 7) have been affected by the volcanic eruption, according to the December 11, 6 a.m. report of the DSWD's Disaster Response Operations Management, Information, and Communication (DROMIC).

Currently, 3,724 families or 12,368 persons are taking temporary shelter in 29 evacuation centers in the affected regions in the Visayas.

The DSWD FO 6 distributed on Tuesday boxes of FFPs to 246 families composed of 723 individuals in Pontevedra, Negros Occidental. Aside from the FFPs, the displaced families also received hygiene kits and sleeping kits.

The DSWD FO 7 City Action Team (CAT) assisted in the distribution of dinner packs to the evacuees at the Macario Española Memorial School (MEMS) in Canlaon City, Negros Oriental on Tuesday night.

Meanwhile, social workers from the DSWD's FOs 6 and 7 continue to assist the LGUs in the management of evacuation centers including the registration and profiling of evacuees through the administration of the Family Assistance Card in Emergencies and Disasters (FACED).

The FACED aims to institutionalize a profiling strategy in collecting the demographic and socioeconomic data of disaster-vulnerable and disaster-affected families such as their name, age, sex, education, and income, as well as post-disaster data and information about damage to shelter and humanitarian assistance received.

During his visit to Negros Island last Tuesday, Secretary Gatchalian reminded residents of the two affected provinces to continue to be vigilant and to follow orders of their local authorities for their own safety. (DSWD)