The Department of Social Welfare and Development in Caraga (DSWD-13) sent an augmentation to the city government here on Wednesday to meet the immediate needs of families displaced by Tropical Storm Dante.
In his report released on Thursday, DSWD-13 OIC-director Ramel Jamen said the agency provided some 1,000 family food packs (FFPs) worth around PHP428,000 to Butuan evacuees.
The city government said 1,286 families or 4,813 individuals from five barangays were evacuated to safer grounds on Tuesday afternoon due to floods caused by “Dante”.
Jamen said the city government also provided the affected families with separate food and non-food assistance worth PHP647,400.
Based on the data from DSWD-13, a total of 3,756 families or 14,838 persons in two cities and eight municipalities in the provinces of Agusan del Norte and Surigao del Norte were directly affected by the storm.
Of the total number, 3,535 families or 13,858 persons were evacuated in 95 evacuation centers while the other 221 families or 980 persons stayed outside of evacuation centers.
“The DSWD-13 Field Office is continuously coordinating with the local government units (LGUs) to monitor the situation in their respective areas,” Jamen said.
As of Thursday, a total of 6,304 FFPs worth PHP2,661,170 are still available in the region, of which, 4,048 FFPs are stocked at the regional warehouse in this city, 1,300 FFPs in Surigao City, and 956 FFPs in Tandag City, Surigao del Sur, he added.
Non-food items such as family, hygiene, kitchen and sleeping kits, and other essential needs all worth PHP17,222,180 are also available in different warehouses and ready for augmentation to the different LGUs in the region.
“The field office has an available standby fund of PHP3,000,000 as of Thursday,” Jamen said.
Army aids distressed families
Meanwhile, amid the onslaught of “Dante” on Tuesday, the Army’s 23rd Infantry Battalion (23IB) has dispatched emergency response teams to support the LGUs in rescue operations to families affected by floods.
In a statement Wednesday, Lt. Col. Julius Cesar C. Paulo, the commander of 23IB said emergency response teams from the unit were dispatched in Butuan City and Agusan del Norte.
“Responsibilities of government forces do not end with just securing the peace of the country from the threat of communist insurgents. These disasters have harmed our fellowmen, and we now have to be with them to bring hope during these challenging times,” Paulo said.
In Butuan City, the 23B troopers joined the LGU in the packing, transportation, and distribution of relief goods for the affected families in Barangays Los Angeles, Sto Niño, Ampayon, Baobaoan, Lemon, Pangabugan, Mahay, Baan Km.3, Pigdaulan, and De Oro.
At the height of the humanitarian operations, the 23IB commander also reminded the troopers not to let their guards down, particularly from the threats of coronavirus disease 2019 and New People’s Army insurgents.
“Our responding teams continue to brave flooded communities to conduct rescue operations in the hopes of rescuing more individuals. Let us not create any opportunity for our foes – the coronavirus and the terrorists – to strike us during any of our humanitarian missions. We call on everyone to hold on to safety as help is on the way and will come,” Paulo said. (PNA)
