AID FOR TYPHOON VICTIMS. Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) personnel prepare the food packs for distribution to Typhoon Ambo (Vongfong) victims in Eastern Samar. The DSWD on Tuesday (June 2, 2020) said a total of 39,335 food packs have been distributed to affected families in Samar provinces. (Photo courtesy of DSWD)
TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has distributed 39,335 food packs to Typhoon Ambo (Vongfong) victims in Samar provinces.
Each affected family received a food pack containing rice, coffee, and canned goods, enough for three to five days for a family of five members, said Joshua Kempis, DSWD Eastern Visayas disaster response operation division information officer, on Tuesday.
The DSWD has already served a total of 25,497 families in Eastern Samar – 10,313 in Oras town, 4,573 in Dolores, 4,572 in Arteche, 4,539 in San Policarpio, and 1,500 in Can-avid.
In Northern Samar, there were 13,838 families served - 3,738 in Catubig town; 2,600 in Las Navas; 2,000 in Lapinig; 1,500 in Gamay; 1,000 each in San Roque, Capul, and Rosario; and 500 each in Biri and Lavezares.
“Our relief operations are still ongoing both in Eastern and Northern Samar. We only dispatch relief items, when local government units request augmentation, as they are always the first responder in any disaster,” Kempis said in a statement.
The relief items distributed as of Monday are worth PHP21.4 million, he added.
On May 14, Ambo brought strong winds and heavy to intense rains over the northern portion of Eastern Samar and the southern portion of Northern Samar, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration.
As part of its response and preparedness measures, the regional office here has prepositioned 4,812 family food packs (FPP) and requested an additional 40,000 packs from the DSWD Visayas Disaster Response Center in Cebu. (PNA)
