Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Judy M. Taguiwalo flew to Cagayan De Oro (CDO)​ yesterday and met with local executives to discuss ways on how to further assist families affected by severe flooding in the city and other nearby provinces due to heavy rains brought by the tail end of a cold front over the eastern section of Visayas and Mindanao.

​CDO has been under state of calamity since Tuesday due to the occurrence of severe flashfloods brought by heavy rain on Monday, which displaced thousands of residents, destroyed houses, uprooted trees, submerged vehicles and establishments, and caused power outages.

Other than CDO, the flooding also affected Misamis Oriental, Bukidnon, Lanao del Norte, and Misamis Occidental in Region X, as well as some provinces in Regions VII, VIII,  IX and the Negros Island Region (NIR).

Sec. Taguiwalo met with CDO Vice Mayor Rainier Uy and the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC) together with the staff of DSWD- Field Office X. She also spoke via phone with Mayor Oscar Moreno who is currently in an emergency meeting in Malacañang.

According to City Social Welfare and Development Officer Teddy Sabuga-a, the city will need DSWD’s help in providing assistance to the affected communities due to the high number of victims of the flooding incident.

The welfare chief said that the Department is always ready to assist the local government units (LGUs) along prepositioning of family food packs, providing additional resources when needed, and in managing evacuation centers.

After the meeting with CDO LGU, Sec. Taguiwalo proceeded to Gingoog City, Misamis Oriental where she joined the LGU in distributing relief goods to flood victims.

Status of affected families

The DSWD-Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information Center (DROMIC) reported that as of 5AM today, the weather disturbance has affected a total of 33,902 families or 165,280 individuals in 315 barangays in Regions NIR, VII, VIII,  and X.

It has displaced 19,795 families or 107,069 persons; of which, 9,687 families or 50,107 individuals are still staying in 118 evacuation centers (ECs) set up by LGUs.

The highest number of remaining displaced families totaling to 9,311 or 48,605 individuals was recorded in Region X, where CDO is located. There are currently 107 ECs still open in the region.

The number of damaged houses rose to 94 in Regions VII, VIII, and X. Of this number, 58 were partially damaged, while 36 were totally damaged.

To date, a total of P4,739,491.94 worth of assistance has been provided to affected families in Regions NIR, VII, VIII, and X, with the bulk amounting to P4,588,464.94 provided by the Department, while P151,027 was provided by LGUs.

Holistic Intervention

During the meeting with Cagayan de Oro City LGU, Sec. Taguiwalo emphasized the importance of holistic intervention during times of disasters.

“Our interventions should be holistic. For instance, if we decide to transfer families from the danger zones, we have to make sure that the place where they will be transferred is safe and that there are jobs, water, and food, among others,” she explained.

The welfare chief also mentioned encouraging the members of the community to extend help to disaster victims.

“Kailangan po na may community participation ang intervention natin when it comes to disaster. Dapat tulong tulong po tayo (Our intervention during the occurrence of disasters must have community participation. We should all work hand-in-hand),” she said.

Heavy rains in CARAGA

The Department is also keeping a  close watch on the continuous heavy rains in the CARAGA Region.  The inclement weather resulted to flash floods and landslides in the municipalities of Talacogon and Veruela, and San Luis, Agusan del Sur. Classes from pre-school to secondary were suspended yesterday in some cities and municipalities, while all sea vessel trips were cancelled. Residents living in low-lying areas in Butuan City were also forced evacuated.

A total of 5,220 families or 22,986 individuals were affected in 63 barangays in the region as of 5AM today. Of this number, 4,585 families or 19,819 persons are staying in 59 evacuation centers.

Rescue operations of Quick Response Teams (QRTs) are still on-going to assist  families whose houses have been affected by rising flood waters and landslides.

DSWD-FO CARAGA has prepositioned 6,600 FFPs in strategic areas within the region, ready for distribution whenever needed. An additional 12,170 food packs are on stand-by at the DSWD warehouse at Tiniwisan, Butuan City. ###