ILOILO City – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has assured that it is prepared to respond in case Western Visayas is affected by Tropical Storm “Kristine”.
According to DSWD Region 6 officer-in-charge Arwin Razo, the agency has P146,772,885.97 worth of family food packs and non-food items ready for disaster response operations. This includes 114,568 family food packs valued at P89,287,108.72, along with P57 million worth of non-food supplies.
“We at the DSWD are prepared to augment resources should affected localities need assistance, especially now that provinces in Western Visayas are under Signal No. 1,” Razo said.
Of the food packs, 64,317 have already been prepositioned in strategic locations to ensure that families affected by any disaster can receive immediate aid.
Currently, there are 68 preposition sites across Western Visayas, including nine in Aklan, 11 in Antique, 13 in Capiz, five in Guimaras, 15 in Iloilo, and 15 in Negros Occidental.
The non-food items include family kits, sleeping kits, hygiene kits, kitchen kits, family tents, and modular tents.
DSWD’s Quick Response Team (QRT) has been activated to respond to any arising needs.
As of Wednesday morning, the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) Region 6 has not received any reports from local government units (LGUs) about preemptive evacuations due to the rains brought by the storm.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) reported that, as of 2 p.m. on Wednesday, October 23, Panay Island and the northern portion of Negros Occidental remained under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) No. 1.
Areas under Signal No. 1 include the provinces of Aklan, Capiz, Antique (including Caluya Islands), Iloilo, Guimaras, and the northern portion of Negros Occidental, which covers Pontevedra, La Castellana, Moises Padilla, Bago City, La Carlota City, Bacolod City, and several other municipalities.
Signal No. 1 also covers parts of Negros Oriental, Cebu, and other areas in Visayas and Luzon. Meanwhile, several provinces are under TCWS No. 2, including Ilocos Norte, Metro Manila, and parts of Luzon./PN
