Manila: The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Quick Response Teams remain on full alert for the potential impact of Saudel, a severe tropical storm which is still outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility as of posting time.
According to Philippines News Agency, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration, Saudel is expected to intensify the southwest monsoon (habagat) and bring heavy rainfall across Luzon starting Monday.
"Ang ating mga quick response teams sa central office at maging sa mga field offices, pati na ang mga ginagamit na specialized equipments, ay nakahanda na para tumugon sa inaasahang malakas na pagbuhos ng ulan dulot ng habagat sa susunod na linggo. Kahit na bumubuti ang panahon ngayong weekends, nakaalerto pa rin tayo (Our quick response teams at the central office and in field offices, including their specialized equipment, are ready to respond to the expected heavy rains brought by the southwest monsoon next week. Even if the weather is improving this weekend, we are still on alert)," Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao of the DSWD Disaster Response Management Group said in a news release Friday.
She said DSWD maintains sufficient relief stockpiles to support communities that may experience the effects of downpours.
As of 6 a.m., the DSWD has a total of 3,854,112 family food packs (FFPs) prepositioned nationwide and PHP715.25 million in quick response funds, according to the Disaster Response Operations Management, Information and Communication (DROMIC).
'Enough po ito to sustain our disaster response operations sa buong bansa (It is enough to sustain our disaster response operations nationwide)," Dumlao said.
Simultaneous with disaster preparations, the DSWD continues to provide relief and other assistance to families impacted by recent weather disturbances.
Based on the DROMIC report, the DSWD has provided a PHP1.03 billion worth of humanitarian aid to 2,042,703 affected families nationwide.
"Alinsunod sa utos ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. na pabilisin ang pag-abot ng assistance, nakikipag coordinate na rin tayo sa mga social action centers at maging mga simbahan para magsilbing pwesto ng nga FFPs (In line with the directives of President Marcos to hasten the distribution of assistance, we are now coordinating with social action centers and even the church for a place of FFPs). This is another measure to ensure that FFPs are immediately accessible to affected families," Dumlao said.
In Pampanga, the DSWD Field Office-Central Luzon collaborated with San Pablo Chapel and Santo Cristo Chapel in Guagua to distribute 970 food packs to affected households.
