Even as relief operations for victims of Typhoon Nona continue in all the affected regions, the government through the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and other member-agencies of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) is now focusing on early recovery and rehabilitation.
In today’s meeting at the NDRRMC Operations Center in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, NDRRMC Executive Director Undersecretary Alexander Pama said that all concerned front line government agencies are coordinating to hasten the delivery of relief goods and move on towards early recovery and rehabilitation.
DSWD Undersecretary Vilma B. Cabrera also reiterated that the government will continue pursuing relief efforts despite the incident involving the ambush of two military trucks on their way back from delivering relief goods for survivors of ‘Nona’ in Northern Samar early yesterday morning.
DSWD is the chair of the NDRRMC’s Response Cluster.
Meanwhile, a total of ₱59,945,640.98 worth of relief assistance was provided to affected towns where ₱51,337,924.00 came from DSWD, ₱8,144,666.98 from the LGUs, and ₱463,050.00 from the NGOs in Regions III, IV-A, IV-B, V and VIII ,as of 19 December 2015, 4AM.
Currently, a total of 37,145 families or 175,168 persons are inside 526 evacuation centers and 38,601 families or 192,098 persons are outside evacuation centers in Regions III, IV-A, IV-B, V and VIII.
DSWD Secretary Corazon Juliano- Soliman said the Department will continue to augment the resources of the affected LGUs until the needs of the victims have been met.
On the other hand, disaster operations for ‘Onyok’ are also ongoing, even as DOST- Pag-Asa declared this morning that it is now a low pressure area.
A total of 32,914 families or 143,097 persons were affected by ‘Onyok’ of which 3,240 families or 12,585 persons are inside 87 evacuation centers managed by LGUs in Region CARAGA as of 19 December 2015, 10AM.
The DSWD remains on heightened alert with staff in the Central Office and regional offices in the affected provinces continuously coordinating with their counterparts in the LGUs and other government agencies. ###
