DSWD prepares for TD ‘Samuel’ onslaught

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Tuesday said it is preparing for the onslaught of Tropical Depression “Samuel.”

Newly appointed DSWD spokesperson and Assistant Secretary Glenda Relova said different teams from the DSWD around the country are already monitoring weather updates on “Samuel.”

“Our Disaster Response and Management Bureau is closely monitoring disaster reports from affected DSWD-FOs (field offices) for request for resource augmentation or any technical assistance,” she said in a press release.

“All Social Welfare and Development (SWAD) teams are now on standby for logistics and workforce augmentation,” she added.

According to Relova, a total of 374,104 family food packs worth P137 million and food and non-food items worth P879 million are now being prepared by the agency.

In addition, standby food worth P1.121 billion is also currently available at the DSWD central and field offices. These, Relova said, could be “immediately tapped for quick response operations.”

“We urge citizens to continue to prepare and follow orders from concerned offices to prevent any loss of lives before, during, and after the onslaught of ‘Samuel,’” Relova said.

As of 1 p.m., “Samuel” continues to move closer the Samar-Leyte-Dinagat area. It is packing maximum sustained winds of 55 kph (kilometers per hour) and gustiness of 65 kph.  /muf