Even as typhoon warning signals were lowered in various parts of the region, the DSWD Field Office Eight keeps on closely monitoring the state of disaster – prone areas in Region Eight, Regional Director Leticia Diokno announced today.

In the agency’s First Progress Report on Typhoon Pablo to DSWD Central Office in Manila, it stated that in St. Bernard town, there are 256 families from 12 barangays who have left their homes for safer grounds, while in Sogod, the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office bared that the number of evacuees has yet to be determined.

In the Field Office’s coordination with the Municipal Risk Reduction Management Councils of the disaster – prone municipalities of Southern Leyte, particularly San Ricardo, Pintuyan, San Juan, Limasawa, San Francisco, and Bontoc, and that of Maasin City, no families were reported affected.

Southern Leyte is now placed under Typhoon Signal No. 2, as of the latest weather forecast issued at 11 a.m. today. In the earlier bulletin, it was at signal no. 3.

Meanwhile, some 158 families in Tacloban City have sought temporary refuge at the Tacloban City Convention Center since yesterday.

Pauline Nadera, the DSWD focal person on disaster risk reduction management said, continuous repackaging of family food packs is being done to ensure “ prompt response for augmentation and pre-positioning of relief goods to the areas frequented by the effect of typhoon, and which timely response to affected families is difficult due to distance from the regional office.”

“The Quick Response Team will likewise pursue its 24 – hour duty at the regional office until public storm warning signal is lifted,” Nadera pointed out.