A total of 1,025 families or 3,744 persons from 36 barangays in Cagayan Valley and Isabela have been affected by Typhoon Dodong and sought temporary shelter in 27 evacuation centers set up in the two provinces.

As of 2 am today, only 14 evacuation centers remain open in the two hardest hit provinces and continue providing temporary shelter to 607 families or 2,159 persons.  The families who have evacuated at the height of the typhoon have been allowed to return to their homes after their communities have been declared safe.

The evacuation centers which remain open are located in the towns of Aparri, Calayan, Gonzaga, and Sta. Ana in Cagayan; and in Benito Soliven and Divilacan in Isabela.

 Social workers from DSWD-Field Office II are assisting local government units (LGUs) in managing the evacuation centers. Aside from the provision of food packs and hot meals at the evacuation centers, there are also available facilities for the evacuees such as family tents, multi-purpose tents, portalets, water containers, water treatment plants, and transformers.

At the same time, some 95 families or 425 persons who opted to stay in their relatives’ or friends’ houses are also being provided with family food packs.

 Disaster teams from DSWD-Field Office II continue to coordinate with concerned LGUs to further assess the extent of the typhoon and to provide resource and personnel augmentation, when needed. ###