The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) remains on red alert as heavy rains from the southwest monsoon (habagat) continue to affect several regions across the country, despite Severe Tropical Storm “Wipha” (formerly “Crising”) already far from the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).
In a statement on Monday, July 21, DSWD Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao said the agency and its field offices are on 24/7 monitoring to assess the situation in areas affected by the inclement weather.
DSWD has so far distributed around P45 million worth of food and non-food relief items to municipalities affected by Crising and the ongoing monsoon rains.
As of the 6 a.m. report from the DSWD’s Disaster Response Operations Management, Information and Communication (DROMIC), 346 evacuation centers remain operational in Metro Manila, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol Region, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Caraga, and Cordillera Administrative Region.
The evacuation centers are currently providing temporary shelter to 7,509 families or 26,181 individuals.
DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian has also directed its field offices to continue monitoring the situation of locally stranded individuals (LSIs) in seaports nationwide.
Assistance, including hot meals and ready-to-eat food packs, has been provided to LSIs stranded at Pasacao Port in Camarines Sur, Tabaco Port in Albay, and Parola Wharf in Iloilo City.
“Patuloy po ang aming paalala sa publiko na mag-ingat at makipag-ugnayan sa kanilang lokal na pamahalaan upang matiyak ang inyong kaligtasaan ngayong nakararanas pa rin tayo ng masamang panahon (We continue to remind the public to stay vigilant and coordinate with their local government to ensure their safety as we continue to experience inclement weather),” Dumlao said.