Tacloban City, October 25 – As an aftermath of Typhoon Ofel, which struck Leyte and Southern Leyte provinces the most, the DSWD Field Office Eight continues to operate on a 24 – hour duty since yesterday, as its Quick Response Team (QRT) remains in force till this date.

DSWD Field Office Eight Regional Director Leticia Diokno has also alerted its Social Welfare Action and Development Teams (SWADTs) of the six provinces of the region to immediately conduct a rapid assessment of the damages, in coordination with the local government units, after the strike of the typhoon.

Since yesterday, the Tacloban City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (CDRRMC) has taken action as the city has a number of areas who are under or leading to Water Alert Level three, a critical level of five feet high.

Through media monitoring, there are some 165 families of the coastal barangay of Barangay 88 in San Jose District, Tacloban, who left their homes yesterday and sought refuge at the Tacloban City Convention Center. The convention place was made as the central evacuation center of the city.

On going relief is being pursued by the Tacloban CDRRMC in areas like Barangay Palanog which reaches 200 families seeking temporary refuge at the Gawad Kalinga Center in said Barangay. About 3 families were affected by a landslide that hit early this morning.

Some areas in Barangays 109 and 109-A in V&G Subdivision in Tacloban, are also in deep waters.

Director Diokno has called on a meeting this morning to the QRT members to review once again their respective rules and functions. She also reminded them to map out the low-lying areas in the city and in the Region in general.

She revealed that the field office is ready to extend augmentation assistance to the local government units, should they need help.

The agency maintains a stand-by of 100 thousand family food packs amounting to three hundred and fifty pesos and calamity fund of 300 thousand pesos, at any given time.