The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has readied food packs, relief items, and response assets for communities affected by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Sarangani and other parts of Mindanao on Monday.
DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian ordered all field offices in Mindanao to immediately coordinate with local government units and deploy needed resources to assist affected families.
Gatchalian said more than 1.1 million boxes of family food packs and 80,172 non-food items have already been prepositioned in Mindanao and are ready for distribution.
The DSWD’s Disaster Response Management Group also reported that, as of June 2, a total of 4.7 million family food packs had been prepositioned nationwide for immediate release during disasters and emergencies.
Gatchalian said Quick Response Teams from DSWD field offices are on standby and continue to coordinate with LGUs for possible resource augmentation.
He said the agency’s mobile command centers, mobile kitchens, and other needed equipment and resources are also on standby for deployment.
“DSWD is more than ready to provide immediate response by supporting the needs of the affected families in the entire Mindanao. In fact, we have directed all Field Offices to coordinate closely with the LGUs and deploy social workers in designated evacuation centers to work with the local social workers,” Gatchalian said.
The DSWD urged the public to closely monitor official advisories and coordinate with their respective LGUs to locate the nearest evacuation center, as aftershocks are expected and a tsunami warning remains in effect.