After staying for more than a week in evacuation centers while enduring aftershocks, some 86 families from Tarragona, Davao Oriental were allowed to return to their homes following clearance from authorities.

In a statement on Friday, Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao of the DSWD’s Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) reported that the agency, through its Field Office 11 (Davao Region), has extended assistance to the ‘balik-bahay’ families on Oct. 22 during a send-off ceremony.

“Natutuwa po ang DSWD na nakakuha na ng clearance para bumalik na ang ating mga evacuees mula sa Tarragona sa kani-kanilang mga tahanan. Pinabaunan po ng DSWD ang mga naapektuhang pamilya ng family food packs (FFPs), ready-to-eat- food (RTEF) boxes, kitchen kits, sleeping kits at family kits para matulungan silang makapagsimulang muli (The DSWD is happy that the evacuees were given the clearance to return to their homes. The DSWD sent them off with FFPs, RTEF, kitchen kits, sleeping kits and family kits to help then start over),” Dumlao said.

Aside from the DSWD, the Office of Civil Defense also provided shelter repair kits, while the Department of Health extended hygiene kits as additional assistance to the returning families.

“Bagamat nakabalik na po ang mga pamilya sa kanilang mga tahanan, sisiguraduhin pa rin po ng DSWD na patuloy na i-monitor ang kanilang kondisyon para matulungan ang tuloy-tuloy nilang pagbangon mula sa nangyaring sakuna (While the families have returned home, the DSWD will continue to monitor their conditions to help them fully recover from the disaster),” the DSWD spokesperson said.

The DSWD is also preparing to extend financial assistance under its Emergency Cash Transfer (ECT) to the affected families to support their early recovery, including the repair of their damaged houses.

The DSWD’s ECT is a post disaster intervention which provides unconditional cash assistance to families that require additional aid after a calamity. (PNA)