The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has activated its core disaster protocols to assist at-risk populations in four regions of the country amid the prevailing low-pressure area (LPA) and intensified southwest monsoon (habagat).
In a press briefing on Thursday, Disaster Response Management Bureau Director Maria Isabel Lanada said the DSWD has implemented focused preparedness actions for Ilocos Region, Central Luzon, Cagayan Valley and Cordillera Administrative Region in coordination with concerned Field Offices and local government units.
According to the latest weather advisories, the four regions are among the areas projected to be impacted by the current weather systems.
“The actions include identification and readiness of evacuation centers in high-risk areas, strategic prepositioning of essential relief supplies, and deployment of specialized units and facilities,” Lanada said.
The units and facilities deployed in the four regions include 40 women-friendly space kits; 40 child-friendly space kits; four mobile kitchens; four mobile command centers; 743 quick response teams; PHP12 million in standby funds; 643,820 family food packs (FFPs); and 62,492 non-food items (NFIs).
“These region-specific measures are designed to ensure that the needs of families who will be displaced in the four regions will be addressed promptly, especially in the event of forced evacuations and prolonged displacement,” Lanada said.
She said the DSWD continues to coordinate closely with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, local authorities and humanitarian partners to harmonize response efforts and strengthen community resilience.
Meanwhile, Lanada said the DSWD has prepositioned critical resources and mobilized teams to ensure readiness across all regions in the country.
She said 37,797 evacuation centers are being monitored nationwide, while 1,114 quick response teams have been deployed across the central and field offices.
The agency also has more than 3 million FFPs and 337,494 NFIs prepositioned in 935 warehouses across the country. (PNA)