The Department of Social Welfare and Development has placed its disaster response operations under red alert as Tropical Depression “Caloy” continues to move within the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR), prompting intensified preparations for possible flooding and severe weather conditions.
DSWD Assistant Secretary and spokesperson Irene Dumlao said on Sunday that the agency is now closely coordinating with local government units (LGUs) in areas expected to be affected by the weather disturbance, including preparations for possible preemptive evacuations.
Dumlao, who also heads the agency’s Disaster Response Management Group, said Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian directed all DSWD field offices to maintain round-the-clock coordination with LGUs and ensure that relief supplies are ready for immediate deployment.
“Nag-utos na si Secretary Rex Gatchalian sa lahat ng mga DSWD Field Offices na makipag-ugnayan 24/7 sa mga local government units para siguruhin na may sapat na prepositioned relief goods sa mga warehouses at regular na magbigay ng situational reports,” Dumlao said.
To prepare for the possible impact of the storm, the DSWD said it has prepositioned more than 4.7 million family food packs nationwide, along with 376,419 ready-to-eat food packs and 202,855 non-food items.
Available relief supplies also include 52,500 hygiene kits, 56,400 sleeping kits, and 93,900 kitchen kits intended for families that may be displaced by heavy rains and flooding.
The agency has likewise readied emergency shelter and protection materials, including 5,600 family tents, over 23,300 modular tents, more than 9,600 family water filtration kits, around 4,600 laminated sack rolls, and over 2,400 tarpaulin rolls.
Disaster response vehicles and mobile equipment have also been placed on standby in various DSWD field offices. These include mobile command centers, mobile kitchens, water tanker trucks, and mobile water treatment units aimed at speeding up relief operations in affected communities.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration reported that “Caloy” entered PAR on Saturday as a tropical storm before weakening into a tropical depression by Sunday.
State weather forecasters said the cyclone is expected to further weaken into a low-pressure area before exiting the country on Monday.