The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) reported Thursday that more than 70,000 families have been affected by recent volcanic activity at Mayon Volcano, with government relief operations and assistance continuing uninterrupted.

“As of 6:00 a.m. this morning, we have recorded more than 70,000 affected families in Region 5, equivalent to over 286,000 individuals,” Assistant Secretary Dumlao said during a media briefing.

The agency’s disaster monitoring team also recorded 1,132 families, or 4,106 individuals, currently taking temporary shelter in 12 evacuation centers.

Meanwhile, 26 families, or 85 individuals, are staying outside designated evacuation facilities.

Dumlao said the DSWD remains ready to support local government units (LGUs) under an agreement with the provincial government earlier this year, through which family food packs are distributed every 15 days.

To date, the agency has provided 100,257 family food packs (FFPs), 1,402 ready-to-eat food (RTEF) boxes, and 7,634 non-food items (NFIs), including hygiene kits and kitchen supplies.

A mobile kitchen has also been deployed to provide hot and nutritious meals to displaced families to address food pack fatigue.

As the lead agency for Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM), the DSWD is taking proactive steps to protect internally displaced persons (IDPs) from extreme heat conditions.

Dumlao said the agency is currently discussing the retrofitting of evacuation centers to improve insulation and protect tents from high temperatures, as well as enhance ventilation systems.

“One of the improvements we are considering for evacuation centers is the addition of cooling areas,” she said, adding that air-cooling units and other equipment are being evaluated to help reduce heat inside the camps.