DSWD: 204 flood-hit families in Mindanao transferred to temporary shelters

More than 200 families affected by Tropical Storm Sendong (Washi) have been transferred from school gymnasiums to temporary shelters, the Department of Social Welfare and Development said. The DSWD said the transfer of the families in Region 10 aims to decongest schools now that classes have resumed. In a news release, it said that as of 5 p.m. Monday, 204 families have been transferred to temporary shelters. These included:

• 38 families transferred from Macasandig Covered Gym to Agusan Elementary Schoo
• 75 families transferred from Macasandig Covered Gym to Mandumol Basketball Court
• 13 families transferred from Macasandig Covered Gym to Buena Oro Covered Court
• 30 families transferred to Camaman-an St Mary’s Parish Hall from Macasandig Covered Gym
• 47 families transferred to Mt. Carmel Church from West City Central School.

The DSWD said families occupying classrooms in public schools will not be transferred, but those staying in covered public school gyms are being moved to give space for alternative mode of learning in schools used as evacuation centers. For its part, the Department of Education said teachers trained by the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) will conduct psychosocial processing for elementary and high school students starting Wednesday. Meanwhile, the DSWD said 44 evacuation centers remain open in Iligan and Cagayan de Oro Cities, two areas hit hardest by Sendong. DSWD Secretary Corazon Soliman said one community kitchen, two multi-purpose huts, and one multi-purpose operation center will be installed anytime at the Calaanan Tent City. Some 408 tents were installed by the PNP and the Rotary International in this 3.5 hectare lot. The DSWD added Xavier University has offered its five-hectare lot in Lumbia, Cagayan de Oro City as temporary resettlement area and another five hectares for permanent resettlement. It added a tripartite memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the establishment of permanent shelter for "Sendong" victims in Calaanan is being prepared. The MOA will be signed by the DSWD Region 10, Cagayan de Oro LGU, and the Habitat for Humanity. Meanwhile, some 865 individuals composed of 321 children and 544 adults underwent psychosocial processing. — LBG, GMA News