The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has provided P6.4M worth of relief assistance to augment the resources of  local government units affected by flashfloods and heavy rains in   Regions IV-B, V, VI, VII, VIII, X, XI and CARAGA.

As of 3:00 p.m. today, January 11, a total of P26,327,516 worth of assistance has already been released from the combined resources of the DSWD, LGUs, non-government organizations (NGOs) and other government organizations.

In a continuing response to the onslaught of heavy rains, DSWD has prepositioned P33.99 million worth of standby funds, family packs, and other food and non-food items in all concerned Field Offices.  The resources are readily available for distribution to augment disaster relief operations of LGUs when necessary.

The number of affected families increased from 133,998 to 171,253 or 839,476 persons in 987 barangays in the eight (8) regions. 

Some 5,256 families with 25,016 persons are still being served in 90 evacuation centers while 54,693 with 278,528 persons are being served outside evacuation centers.

In Western Samar, four (4) additional municipalities were reported to have been affected by floods, namely the towns of Gandara, Matuguinao, Motiong and San Jorge.  More than 2,700 families from 32 barangays in these towns were affected by floods and landslides.

To prevent further damage, 40 families in Southern Leyte’s Bontoc town were advised to stay at the evacuation center while heavy downpour continues to hit the area.

Meanwhile in Eastern Samar, some 1,216 families were also affected, with 51 families evacuating at the Central School for safety. 

The municipalities of Catubig, Lapinig, San Roque and Silvino Lobos in  Northern Samar were also reported to have been affected by flooding displacing 39,182 families.  Disaster operations continue in the affected areas in coordination with the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Councils (MDRRMC) of the respective areas.

In Bicol region, 25 evacuation centers remain open serving 2,032 families with 10,272 persons from the municipalities of Bacacay, Camalig, Daraga, Malilipot, Manito, and Sto. Domingo in Albay. 

The DSWD regional disaster teams in the eight  (8) regions continue to operate 24/7 and coordinate with the LGUs to ensure immediate assistance in relief distribution, data generation, and management of evacuation centers.### (DSWD-Social Marketing Service) 11 January 2011