The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has provided an initial P4.39 million in relief aid to local government units (LGUs) affected by the eruption of Kanlaon Volcano.
“With the ongoing disaster operations that started right after the eruption of Mt. Kanlaon on Monday (Dec. 9), our Field Offices 6 (Western Visayas) and 7 (Central Visayas) continue to send family food packs to Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental, on top of those already prepositioned, to help our LGUs respond to the needs of their constituents,” DSWD-Disaster Response and Management Group Assistant Secretary and spokesperson Irene Dumlao said on Wednesday, Dec. 11.
Of the total aid provided, the bulk of P4.3 million was allocated to the cities of Bago and La Carlota, as well as the municipalities of La Castellana, Murcia, and Pontevedra in Negros Occidental.
“We continue to coordinate with the concerned LGUs to ensure that timely assistance will be provided to the affected families, as committed by Secretary Gatchalian during his meeting with local officials of the two provinces of Negros Island last Tuesday (Dec. 10),” Dumlao said.
As of the 6 a.m. report on Wednesday from the DSWD’s Disaster Response Operations Management, Information, and Communication, 10,993 families or 37,699 individuals across 23 barangays in Western Visayas (Region 6) and Central Visayas (Region 7) have been affected by the volcanic eruption.
Currently, 3,724 families or 12,368 individuals are taking temporary shelter in 29 evacuation centers in the affected regions.