On November 20, tropical depression Samuel made landfall at Eastern Samar. The heavy rains brought by Samuel caused the Oras River to overflow. This led to massive flooding in the upstream barangays in Oras, Eastern Samar.

Less than a day later, the Department of Social Welfare and Development was already on the field, ready to distribute relief goods to the families affected by the flood. Arriving at almost midnight on November 21, DSWD, together with the help of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), arrived with 1,450 family food packs (FFPs).

These FFPs were loaded into boats and delivered upstream. DSWD staff split up into teams to cover each target barangay. Upon arrival, DSWD staff oversaw and carried out the distribution of relief goods straight to the beneficiaries. Due to severe flooding, DSWD staff distributed the relief goods directly from the boats to the beneficiaries. Over-all, DSWD successfully distributed FFPs to 9 barangays located along the Oras River. These barangays were prioritized because these were the most badly affected and also because these barangays were isolated due to flooding.

On November 22, DSWD dispatched 550 additional relief goods. A total of 2,000 FFPs have been allocated for Oras, Eastern Samar.

Each FFP contains 6 kilograms of rice, 4 cans of corned beef, 4 cans of beef loaf and 6 sachets of coffee. DSWD would also like to inform the public that these relief goods are not for sale.

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