The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has received reports that recent heavy rains caused flashfloods in nine municipalities in Maguindanao province.

Following continued heavy rains which occurred on October 13, the following municipalities were affected by the flooding incident: Sultan Mastura; Datu Salibo; Shariff Saidona; Datu Montawal; Ampatuan; Datu Abdulah Sangki; Rahay Buayan; Sultan Sa Barongis; and, Pangalungan.

A total of 22,496 families or 109,909 individuals were affected, but no evacuation centers were reported.

In South Cotabato, the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO) reported that a flashflood occurred on October 9 due to heavy rains which affected three barangays in the City. Some 95 families from Barangays Carpenter Hills, Concepcion, and Sto. Nino were affected by the incident.

The City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC) immediately provided 25 kilos of rice to the affected families.
DSWD is also currently coordinating with the local government units (LGUs) of the affected areas for possible resource augmentation based on the needs of the affected families.

Meanwhile, DSWD is now on red alert for Typhoon Karen following the alert level of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC). The Department’s disaster response teams are on full alert and are continuously getting updates from areas along the typhoon’s path through its virtual operations center at the Central Office in Batasan.

DSWD Secretary Judy Taguiwalo said , “the assistance needed by disaster victims are urgent and immediate. Hence, DSWD will work to ensure that our response is on time and adequate.”

“Again we appeal to all our social workers and disaster mitigation teams not only in the DSWD units but also those with the LGUs to be very responsive to the needs of our people. We are far from being fully resilient against disasters, but we can greatly improve our chances of surviving calamities when we work together with efficiency and speed. Let us closely coordinate our efforts so we can address the needs of our people as soon as possible,” she said. #