DSWD activates Quick Response and Disaster Teams for typhoon ‘Chedeng’

DSWD warehouse preparing for ‘Chedeng’ (Photo courtesy of gov.ph)

MANILA — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said on Thursday it has activated its Quick Response and Disaster Teams (QRDTs) even before the entry of typhoon “Chedeng” into the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR).

At the same time, DSWD Secretay Corazon J. Soliman said that continuous pre-positioning of relief supplies and rice packs at the provincial, municipal and city levels is being undertaken to ensure faster delivery of aid to families that maybe affected by the typhoon during this Holy Week.

“We have enough stockpile of relief goods to augment the resources of local government units (LGU) along the typhoon path as well as standby funds to purchase emergency relief supplies,” Secretary Soliman assured.

“To ensure immediate relief distribution to affected LGUs, data generation, as well as management of evacuation centers, the DSWD field offices along the path of the typhoon have activated their Quick Response and Disaster Teams which will operate 24/7,” she said.

According to her, a total of 300,790 family food packs worth PhP105.73 million have been prepositioned in all DSWD Field Offices forecast to be along the typhoon path.

Soliman said that at least 98,147 packs of relief goods are also available at the National Resource Operations Center (NROC) in Pasay City.

She also said that they have earmarked standby funds amounting to PhP19.72 million for possible emergency needs.

Soliman said that a stockpile of food and non-food items worth PhP170.46 million is available for distribution LGUs that maybe affected by the unusual weather disturbance.

“Chedeng” was forecast by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) to make landfall over the eastern coast of Aurora or Isabela by late Saturday (April 4) to early Sunday (April 5).

With DSWD as head of the Camp Management Cluster under the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), it continues to coordinate with the LGUs in the conduct of pre-emptive evacuation and setting up of evacuation centers.

The DSWD has also activated a pool of volunteers for cash/food-for-work for repacking and pre-positioning of family food packs.