22,000 families crammed in 35 evacuation centers—Soliman

MANILA, Philippines—Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman on Saturday activated quick-response teams and mobilized volunteers to respond to the needs of thousands forced to flee their homes by floods spawned by Tropical Storm Sendong  (international codename: Washi) in Mindanao.

“It’s sad that so many people perished before Christmas. It came in the night and people were not ready. They were swept away,” Soliman said by phone after President Benigno Aquino presided over a disaster-risk reduction meeting in Camp Aguinaldo.

Floodwaters had risen so fast at past midnight Friday, catching residents in Cagayan de Oro, Iligan City and nearby areas unaware, and making it difficult for rescue operations, she said, quoting officials.

“When the waters rose, people were sleeping. They probably didn’t think it would rise that fast. NDRRMC blamed siltation. The pineapples of Bukidnon did not absorb water as the trees were able to do in the past,” she said.

In the aftermath of the disaster, some 22,000 families were crammed inside at least 35 evacuation centers in Mindanao, mostly in Cagayan de Oro, according to Soliman.

Welfare officials, however, were not overwhelmed by the sheer number of evacuees. Volunteers had been deployed to pack food items, and cook food for the evacuees, she said.

“We’re not shocked. We’ve handled this many number of evacuees before,” she said. “The volunteers are on the ground packing food items. Some 10,000 food packs are on their way to Iligan City.”

Aquino instructed the Department of Social Welfare and Development to assess the immediate needs of the evacuees and “determine emergency shelter assistance,” Soliman said on the phone.

The DSWD has prepositioned P3 million for the relief goods out of a total fund of P29.31 million on standby for local government units hit hardest by the storm.