Following the magnitude 6.5 earthquake that hit the Eastern Visayas region, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) already sent initial assistance to affected families in the province of Leyte.

Through its field office (FO) in Region VIII, a total of P3,239,260.38 worth of food and non-food items were distributed to the affected localities of Kananga and Ormoc City.

In addition, the DSWD-FO VIII provided initial relief augmentation to Ormoc City which includes: 100 family food packs (FFPs), 200 pieces of malong, 100 pieces of blankets, 100 mats, 67 Australian tents and one tent from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Based on the latest report from the DSWD Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information Center (DROMIC), a total of 1,837 families or 9,185 persons have been displaced by the earthquake, of which, 73 families or 365 persons are staying in one evacuation center while the rest are staying with relatives and friends.

Meanwhile, the families of the two reported earthquake fatalities have already received burial assistance from the FO and are set to receive an additional P5,000 cash assistance next week.

The DSWD Disaster Response Assistance and Management Bureau (DReAMB) is now on blue alert and is presently coordinating with the FO VIII for more updates on the number of affected families and individuals, and extent of the earthquake’s damage.

Disaster preparedness and resilience

For her part, DSWD Secretary Judy M. Taguiwalo explained the need to further raise awareness and educate the public in disaster preparedness and mitigation, for both man-made and natural disasters, especially since July is also considered as the National Disaster Consciousness Month (NDCM).

“The effectiveness of plans for disaster preparedness does not only lie on the government but a collective effort between the state and its citizens. This is the reason why the government continues to engage the public to participate in disaster planning, orientations, exercises and other activities. By participating and working together, we can save more lives,” the Secretary said.

“Let us build resilience and make sure that even the most vulnerable members of our families know what to do when any form of disaster strikes,” she ended. ###