In his first leg of site visits to evacuation centers in Northern Luzon which bore the brunt of Tropical Cyclone Emong, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian on Sunday (July 27) engages with evacuees at the Sabangan Elementary School in Dagupan City.
The DSWD chief also oversaw the distribution of various relief goods such as hygiene kits to 133 families and family food packs (FFPs) to 200 fishermen.
Secretary Gatchalian was met by Dagupan City Mayor Belen Fernandez.
Accompanying Secretary Gatchalian in the site visit were Undersecretary Diana Rose Cajipe and Asst. Secretary Irene Dumlao of the DSWD’s Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) and personnel of the Field Office 1-Ilocos Region.
The DSWD chief will then head to La Union province.
The DSWD has so far dispatched around 750,000 FFPs to various localities affected by the successive weather systems that hit the country in the past days. (MBM)
DSWD chief brings relief, encouragement to evacuees in La Union
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian motors to La Union on Sunday (July 27) to check on the families affected by the recent weather disturbances and deliver the much-needed support and a bit of good energy.
The DSWD chief’s first stop was in Barangay Poro Evacuation Center in San Fernando City, where 50 individuals are temporarily taking shelter after strong winds tore through their community—roofs were blown off, trees were uprooted, and several homes were left partially or totally damaged. Some parts of the area also remain flooded, adding to the challenges faced by storm-hit families.
Secretary Gatchalian also dropped by the evacuation area at Ilocanos Elementary School, which currently shelters 79 displaced individuals. The DSWD Secretary took a moment to visit the child-friendly space, where kids had a safe and quiet place to play and rest while staying at the evacuation center.
Secretary Gatchalian, along with La Union Governor Mario Eduardo Ortega and San Fernando City Mayor Hermenegildo Gualberto, distributed family food packs (FFPs) to affected families in both evacuation centers. (YADP)
