The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), through its Field Office (FO) in Cagayan Valley, has conducted relief operations for families in various municipalities affected by rains and flooding caused by the surge of the Northeast Monsoon and the tail end of a cold front.

As of December 9, 2019, some 18,101 family food packs (FFP), 2,739 sleeping kits, and 1,388 kitchen kits worth P9,768,625.14 were distributed to the municipalities of Alcala, Aparri, Camalaniugan, Lal-lo, Abulug, Ballesteros, Claveria, Pamplona, Rizal, Sanchez Mira, Sta. Praxedes, Amulung, Iguig, Solana, Enrile and Tuguegarao City in the province of Cagayan and the municipalities of Delfin Albano, Sta. Maria, Cabagan, Ilagan City, Sto. Tomas, San Pablo, Tumauini, Benito Soliven, Aurora, Roxas, Cauayan in Isabela province.

FO II workers also visited various evacuation centers in Cagayan and Isabela to check on the condition of evacuees, conduct psychosocial intervention, and ensure that there are child and women-friendly spaces.

The FO assures that standby funds and relief supplies are enough to augment the resources of partner-local government units (LGUs) for their constituents.

In order to properly handle its functions during calamities, the FO maintains 23 Regional Disaster Management and Response Teams (RDMRTs) working on a rotational basis, five Social Welfare and Development Teams (SWADTs) deployed in five provinces of the region, and 87 City/Municipal Action Teams (C/MATs).

Under the Local Government Code, LGUs are the first responders before, during, and after a disaster. They are primarily responsible for disaster preparedness, mitigation, and response. While the DSWD augments the resources of the LGUs, as needed, to respond to the needs of affected families and individuals. ###