DSWD assures relief to all families affected by cyclones, 'habagat'

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Social Welfare and Development has assured the public that all families that were affected by Tropical Cyclones Luis and Maymay, vas well as the enhanced southwest monsoon will receive humanitarian assistance from the government.In a radio interview, DSWD Assistant Secretary for Disaster Response Management Irene Dumlao has assured of uninterrupted supply of relief goods with all DSWD warehouses across the country remaining completely safe and dry amid the flooding."One of the DSWD's requirements when selecting warehouses is that they must not be located in hazard-prone areas. They should not be in flood-prone locations or near areas that are prone to flooding. This ensures that our relief supplies remain in good condition,' Dumlao, also DSWD spokesman, said.DSWD has mobilized its resources to support more than 815,000 families or over 2.8 million individuals affected by the continuous weather disturbances, distributing family food packs (FFPs) and financial aid across the country.Dumlao saidd that temporary displacement of families recently increased in areas such as Benguet in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) due to persistent rains, as well as in Sta. Maria, Bulacan where rising floodwaters prompted residents to seek shelter in evacuation centers.Despite the ongoing relief operations, the DSWD has maintained over 4.7 million prepositioned food packs nationwide and Php1.6 billion in standby funds to sustain the augmentation support to all affected local government units (LGUs).According to DSWD's Disaster Response Operations Monitoring, Information and Communication (Dromic) as of August 11, 6:00 a.m. report, the DSWD has provided over Php231.9 million worth of humanitarian aid for the affected families in various regions hit by the latest weather disturbances.