“I always give two things – the relief goods and my smile,” says Karen, a Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) staff who volunteered to distribute relief goods in Catarman City, Northern Samar. She is just one of several DSWD staff in Northern Samar who volunteered to distribute relief goods to the families affected by Tropical Depression Usman.
Shortly after the wake of Tropical Depression Usman, DSWD quickly responded, after requests from the Local Government Unit, and after confirming that the road was passable. DSWD staff from the Disaster Response Management Division (DRMD) travelled from the Regional Resource Operations Section in Tacloban City to bring relief items to the affected people of Catarman, Northern Samar.
Under the leadership of Northern Samar Social Welfare Action and Development Team (SWADT) Leader Nena Getalado, DSWD staff conducted a relief distribution in Catarman City, simultaneous to the relief distribution in Lope de Vega.
Similar to Lope de Vega, several interior barangays remained isolated. To reach these barangays, DSWD had to use all means of transportation available, including walking by land, or across the streams by sampan, or by helicopter, through a coordination with the Philippine Air Force. (https://www.facebook.com/dswdfieldoffice/videos/402544893620832/).
DSWD was able to successfully distribute 7,382 Family Food Packs (FFPs), 7,338 blankets, and 20 tarps. Over-all, DSWD distributed Php 6,215,786.44 worth of relief items.
Each family food pack contains 6 kilos of rice, 4 cans of corned beef, 4 cans of meat/beef loaf and 6 sachets of coffee. DSWD would like to inform the public that these items are not for sale.
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