The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) continues to work with other members of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) to  ensure immediate response to the needs of local government units along the path of Typhoon Dodong.

In the press conference this morning at the NDRRMC, the DSWD as head of the Food and Non-Food Cluster has reported that it  has prepositioned 258,220 food packs amounting to P90.97 million in its Field Offices in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Regions I, II,III,IV-A, V, VIII, and at the National Resource Operations Center (NROC). NROC is the national warehouse of the DSWD located in Pasay City.

Aside from the food packs,  DSWD has also prepositioned additional food items worth P21.5 million and non-food items such as mats, blankets, kitchen kits, tarpaulin or plastic sheets amounting to P40.5 million.

There is also on-going repacking of relief goods at the NROC to readily replace those that will be transported to areas that will be hit by ‘Dodong’.

The Department has also coordinated with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to alert its major services including the Water Purifier System Operator Teams for possible manpower and logistics support. 

Likewise, as head of the the Camp Coordination and Camp Management Cluster, the DSWD reported that there is an on-going mapping of evacuation centers for the projected affected areas through Google Crisis Maps.

DSWD Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman said that all evacuation centers have been readied in coordination with the different Preparedness Clusters.

Sec. Soliman added that all disaster teams at the Central Office and and the regional level are placed on standby.

Sec. Soliman once again urged residents along the typhoon path to heed any announcement of their local officials to ensure zero casualty. ###