DWSD provides Mindanao flood victims with P70 million in aid

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) provided families affected by massive flooding and landslides in Mindanao with at least P70 million in humanitarian aid.

In its latest Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information Center (DROMIC) report, the DSWD said 312,346 families or 1,078,531 persons were affected in 652 barangays in Regions XI, XII, and Caraga.

 As of Monday, the department provided the affected families with P70,313,588 worth of food and non-food items, such as sleeping kits and modular tents.

The DSWD noted that P3,333,069,216.11 in relief resources was still available.

Meanwhile, as of February 6, the DSWD recorded 474 totally damaged and 658 partially damaged houses in the affected regions.

DSWD spokesperson Assistant Secretary Romel Lopez said the department and local government units were coordinating to assist the victims.

“We are coordinating to better house them, especially maraming submerged areas pa tayo (there are a lot of submerged areas) including our traditional evacuation sites. But we will facilitate to better improve their conditions,” Lopez told GMA News Online in a text message.

“As to our assets, we are working round the clock to provide assistance. As soon as we have the information, we can easily provide needed assistance,” he added.

Displaced, deaths, missing

There were 14,926 families or 53,858 individuals currently staying in 231 evacuation centers in Regions XI and Caraga.

Meanwhile, 81,811 families, or 300,579 individuals, were temporarily staying with their relatives or friends, with 96,737 families, or 354,437 individuals displaced in Regions XI and Caraga.

In Region XI, the DSWD said the death toll from the flooding and landslides had risen to 18, while 11 were injured and three individuals were missing as of Tuesday.

The municipalities of Compostela, Monkayo, and New Bataan in Davao de Oro and the municipalities of Bunawan and Rosario in Agusan del Sur first reported being affected by the low-pressure area trough on January 29, 2024, 

The LPA trough also brought sustained heavy rains and flooding to neighboring areas, such as the province of North Cotabato.

The light to heavy rains continued until February 2, causing further flooding and landslides in Mindanao. 

The LPA dissipated on February 3. — DVM, GMA Integrated News