TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines — The Quick Response Team of the DSWD-Region 8 Field Office is now on a 24/7 duty at its extension office at Fatima Village in Tacloban City, due to typhoon Ompong.
Since yesterday, the DSWD-8’s operations center has been closely monitoring six provinces in the region, specially Northern Samar, which is closer to the typhoon’s path.
Social Welfare Action and Development Team-Northern Samar leader Nena Getalado said yesterday they were ready with a standby vehicle to transport family food packs to the three ports, for those who will be stranded there, in case the local government units need augmentation support.
Leyte province, on the other hand, was prepared for the effect of the possible destructions brought about by Ompong, as it approaches for a landfall in the northern part of our country, a report from the provincial government said yesterday.
Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla told The Freeman that the Leyte Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction & Management Office (PDRRMO) operation center has been activated since Wednesday, and will run for 24 hours monitoring and reporting any incidents anywhere in Leyte, and disseminating periodic advisories to 41 local government units in the province.
Petilla said the PDRRMO has been monitoring on weather updates, rainfall, and water level data from all watersheds in the province, and conducting periodic situational reports.
For pre-disaster risk assessment/emergency response and preparedness measure, the Provincial Engineering Office had prepositioned heavy equipment in all five district offices in Leyte, such as dump trucks, bulldozers, and excavators, among other heavy equipment.
The Provincial Agriculture Office will be monitoring and disseminating advisories to all the municipal agricultural officers regarding the days of Ompong, Petilla said.
The Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office, for its part, said it has enough and available food items in storage ready for delivery to affected areas, as well as relief goods consisting of 480 sacks of rice, sardines, 300 boxes of noodles, and 625 food packs.
Meanwhile, Petilla issued executive order 08-01-2018 last September 13, suspending classes in all levels in the entire province from Thursday to yesterday, to protect the students from any untoward incidents due to Ompong. —Primo A. Cayubit