BUTUAN CITY – The Department of Social Welfare and Development in Caraga (DSWD-13) said Saturday more than 10,000 family food packs are strategically warehoused in different areas in the region and are ready for distribution for areas affected by Tropical Depression Vicky.
“So far, as of Saturday, no request for augmentation was received by our office, but the food packs and other food items are ready,” DSWD-13 information officer Marko Davey Reyes told Philippine News Agency.
Data from DSWD-13 said showed as of 10 a.m. Saturday, TD Vicky directly affected at least 1,517 families or 6,337 individuals in 41 barangays and 16 cities and municipalities in Caraga.
Some 1,474 families remain inside evacuation centers, the agency said.
DSWD-13 said it still has PHP3 million standby funds for affected areas. A total of 8,695 family food packs worth PHP3,928,140 are also available at the DSWD Regional Operation Center.
In Butuan City, 16 barangays were affected by floods, with a total of 281 families composed of 1,285 individuals evacuated for safety to nine evacuation centers.
The city government said no missing or deaths were reported from barangays due to the floods brought by the inclement weather.
In Surigao del Sur, the initial list provided by the PDRRMO indicated that a total of 1,603 families from the towns of San Agustin, Marihatag, Barobo, San Miguel, Cantilan, Tagbina, Bayabas, Tago, and Bislig City were affected by flooding.
The families are now temporarily housed in different evacuation centers provided by their respective local government units (LGU).
The PDRRMO said seven barangays were severely hit by flooding in Bislig City, 14 barangays in Tagbina, three in Barobo, three in Lianga, two in San Agustin, one in Tago, two in San Miguel, and three in Cantilan
In Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur, the local government said it has provided food and other needs to 435 families that were evacuated from barangays Tarusan, Bigaan, Cambatong, Sasa, and Tagasaka.
A total of 633 hectares of rice fields and 45,000 rice seedlings were also destroyed by floods in the town of Cantilan, Surigao del Sur, based on the initial assessment of the LGU.
One person was also reported missing in Barangay Rajah Cabungsoan, Lingig, Surigao del Sur, as search and rescue operations are still ongoing in the area.
A landslide that caused a traffic jam was also reported in Lingig, but the LGU said clearing operations were already completed Friday.
In Agusan del Sur, the PDRRMO retrieved a body of a person reported missing Saturday in San Francisco.
Ian Paje Batisting, 29, of Del Monte, Talacogon, an employee of Provincial Environment and Natural Resources, was on the way to San Francisco with a colleague, Amasona Mondejar, when the motorcycle they were riding fell and swept by the raging floodwater in Barangay Tagapua.
The residents in the area rescued Mondejar and PDRRMO retrieved the body of Batisting in the same area.
The DSWD-13 report said a total of 17 barangays in 5 municipalities were affected by TD Vicky since Friday.
A total of 475 families or 1,987 people were also evacuated from the said areas due to flooding.
In Agusan del Norte, the DSWD-13 said 348 families or 1,485 persons were evacuated from 14 barangays in two towns and one city in the area, while in Surigao del Norte, a total of 379 families or 1,594 individuals were also evacuated from 14 barangays in five towns.
The PDRRMO in Dinagat Islands also reported the evacuation of 30 families with 83 individuals from the town of San Jose and 16 families with 57 individuals from the municipality of Basilisa.
Meanwhile, the Police Regional Office in Caraga (PRO-13) said its forces remain on full alert after the onslaught of TD Vicky in the area.
Brig. Gen. Romeo Caramat Jr., PRO-13 director, said Saturday a total of 1,066 police personnel and force multipliers were deployed for search and rescue operations, traffic control and management, assist in the evacuation of residents in flood-prone areas, and other public safety operations region-wide.
“To ensure the safety of our personnel and of those who were providing assistance during the calamity, the concept of disaster risk reduction and management program of the DRRMC were strictly observed during search and rescue operations and other public safety services,” Caramat said. (PNA)
