Member-agencies of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) have provided initial aid to families displaced by typhoon Karen in Central Luzon.
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said 5,000 Family Food Packs (FFP) were delivered directly from their National Relief Operations Center in Metro Manila to a satellite warehouse at Nueva Ecija Home for Girls in Palayan City.
Non-Food Items consisting of cooking and eating utensils, malong, laminated sacks and others were likewise delivered to the satellite warehouse.
Moreover, DSWD delivered 500 FFP to Bulacan for augmentation to affected local government units.
Meanwhile, Department of Health instructed its Provincial offices to give Doxycycline to all affected areas as prophylaxis to leptospirosis.
“In general, the readiness of the Regional and Local DRRMCs to typhoon Karen was very high. Personnel and equipment were ready and they responded to any given situation efficiently,” Official of Civil Defense Regional Director and RDRRMC Chairperson Josefina Timoteo said.
“Let us remain prepared and ready at all times. We must not be complacent because typhoon Karen is not yet out of the Philippine Area of Responsibility and another one with an international name Haima enters tomorrow,” Timoteo added.
RDRRMC said 5,053 families or 22,061 persons in 108 barangays in the provinces of Aurora, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, and Zambales were affected by the onslaught of ‘Karen.’
If weather permits, a composite team will conduct an aerial assessment tomorrow to further determine the priority response needed in the affected areas. (PIA 3)