The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Sunday said it has extended assistance to the local government unit (LGU) of Guinobatan following the issuance of a preemptive evacuation order due to several weather systems bringing heavy downpours in the province of Albay.

Asst. Secretary Irene Dumlao of the agency’s Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) said the DSWD's Field Office-5 (Bicol Region) has been coordinating with local counterparts to ensure that sufficient relief assistance is available for evacuees.

“With the help of the concerned LGU, our mobile kitchen was able to provide hot meals to 643 families or 1,931 individuals currently staying in Guinobatan Community College and Mauraro High School,” Asst. Secretary Dumlao said.

The number, according to Dumlao, included 10 barangays in Cagayan Valley.

“On August 22, the DSWD Bicol Field Office provided assistance to the LGU of Guinobatan in the profiling and validation of evacuees, as well as other technical assistance related to Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) and Protection of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs),” Dumlao, who is also the DSWD’s spokesperson, said.

Dumlao said that FO-5 also deployed its mobile kitchen to provide nutritious meals to affected locals and distributed over ₱1.6 million worth of aid to the affected families.

To help children in evacuation centers cope with their current condition, child-friendly spaces were also set up to provide them with temporary learning and recreational activities. These spaces contain books, toys, and other learning materials to help reduce anxiety and fear among children, as well as to facilitate routines like playing, socializing, and learning.

“As instructed by Secretary Rex Gatchalian, we have prepositioned family food packs ready for release in all affected localities to guarantee the omnipresence of the DSWD in times of disasters. This is also in line with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to ensure that no family will be hungry during any emergency situation or calamity,” the DSWD spokesperson said.