As of today, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has provided assistance amounting to P158,282,150 to affected families of typhoon Nina to augment the resources of the Local Government Units (LGUs) in Regions CALABARZON, MIMAOPA, BICOL, and VIII.

In addition, the LGUs also provided assistance amounting to P4,226,832 while Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) contributed P80,500 to the disaster relief operations.

The Department is also continuously conducting an assessment of the damages left by ‘Nina’ in partnership with the LGUs and other National Government Agencies (NGAs) in preparation for the next round of relief assistance, as well as the provision of other appropriate interventions.

To date, there are 436,862 families or 1,967,911 persons affected in 1,767 barangays in Regions CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, BICOL, and VIII.  Of the said total, some 327,487 are displaced, with 46,850 families still staying in evacuation centers, while the rest are temporarily taking shelter either with their relatives or friends.

DSWD has provided a total of P9,614,208 worth of assistance to Calabarzon, P6,634,720 in MIMAROPA, P686,033 in Region VIII, and P141,338,189 to Bicol.

Damaged houses

Based from the latest report, typhoon Nina damaged 239,343 houses in Regions V, CALABARZON, and MIMAROPA, with 171,671 partially damaged while 67,667 are totally damaged.  The numbers of damaged houses are still expected to change once all the assessment reports in the affected areas are in.

In partnership with other concerned agencies, the DSWD is currently preparing for the appropriate response to the shelter needs of the affected families.

Continuous relief operations

DSWD is also anticipating requests for augmentation from the LGUs given the magnitude of the affected families, thus, the production of the family food packs continue.

Secretary Judy M. Taguiwalo assures the public that the DSWD is ready to respond to the requests of LGUs for assistance.  “We will ensure that we have enough stockpile of family food packs ready for immediate delivery to the LGUs upon request.”

The Secretary also addressed the report of some concerned citizens that some affected families have not received help from DSWD.

“DSWD has provided relief assistance to all affected areas even before typhoon Nina hit.  The Department has also sent additional family food packs to LGUs which has requested for augmentation support,” Secretary Taguiwalo said.

Secretary Taguiwalo reminds the public to inquire with their respective LGUs for the relief goods. “The DSWD does not have enough manpower to provide the relief goods to the household level.  Thus, the family food packs provided by DSWD are with the LGUs.  Disaster relief response is primarily the responsibility of the LGUs, with the DSWD ready to augment their resources.”

Thanking volunteers

DSWD also welcomes volunteers who are willing to share their time in repacking relief goods at the National Resource and Operations Center (NROC) in Pasay City and in the different warehouses of the regional offices.

“The provision of relief assistance is continuous, thus, volunteers are also welcome.  We are grateful for those who want to be part of this important work of disaster response in any way they can.  To achieve maximum productivity, we encourage those interested to call NROC for a more orderly schedule of volunteer work,” Secretary Judy added.