By Pearl Gumapos
More aid and resources are on the way for Taal Volcano evacuees, Civil Defense Administrator Undersecretary Ricardo Jalad said Friday night.
“There are national government agencies that organized resources. The DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development) and DOH (Department of Health) also committed (to provide) different items,” he said.
Jalad said that they are assessing the needs of the evacuees should Taal’s volcanic activity escalate.
The evacuees are from the high-risk areas in the towns of Agoncillo and Laurel in Batangas province.
The latest figure from the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said there are 376 families or 1,495 evacuees.
Jalad said 330 families are currently in 12 evacuation centers, while 46 families opted to stay with their relatives in other municipalities.
“There was initial transportation of food earlier from the DSWD. They have a quick response fund, and they also requested for additional funds. That will be taken from the National Disaster Risk Reduction fund,” Jalad said.
“If in case it would not suffice, we would ask the DBM (Department of Budget and Management) for the money so we could feed the evacuees, including those who are staying with their relatives,” Jalad added.
Jalad also said that the OCD would request face masks from the DOH, since these are needed by the evacuees.
Meanwhile, Jalad said that the DOH is considering the possibility of a vaccination rollout for the emergency responders. -rir
