DSWD hopes to airlift relief goods to Batanes province as soon as possible.
The Department of Social Welfare hopes to be able to airlift the relief aid for the victims of Typhoon Ferdie in Batanes on Sunday.
These relief goods are intended for Ivatans displaced by the typhoon which hit on the country’s northernmost province before exiting to Taiwan in the recent days.
In a statement released on Saturday, DSWD said, “upon confirmation by the Philippine Air Force and weather permitting, relief aid for families affected by typhoon Ferdie will be airlifted via C130 tomorrow to Batanes.”
The agency said the shipment of 20,000 pieces of ready-to-eat Brown Rice Bars, 800 Family Food Packs, 5,000 Malong or blankets, 5,000 bottles of water, and three generator sets have been ready at Villamor Airbase since September 14 but they are waiting for the weather to be fair.
According to the agency, 2,710 families or 10,344 persons from Regions I and II were displaced by Ferdie, with international name Meranti. Of these total number, 20 families or 151 persons remain in three evacuation centers in Basco, Batanes, while 2,651 families or 10,063 persons have temporarily sought shelter with relatives and friends.
Since the arrival of the shipment for Batanes is still pending, it said the DSWD-Field Office II has provided initial assistance to affected families in Basco, Ivana and Uyugan in Batanes.
On Thursday, Batanes province has been placed under a state of calamity due to the onslaught of Typhoon Ferdie.
Norma Talosig, chief of the Office of the Civil Defense in Cagayan Valley region, said that the provincial board declared the province under a state of calamity during their session on September 15.
This is following the recommendation of the provincial disaster risk reduction and management council.
According to Governor Marilou Cayco, the declaration will allow the provincial government to immediately respond to the restoration needs of some facilities which were greatly affected by strong the typhoon and to enable quick response and service delivery to the affected families.
Cayco assured the provincial government of Batanes will prioritize families whose houses were totally damaged by strong winds.
As of now, the province still had no power supply, and the communication lines in the towns of Basco, Itbayat, and Mahatao had been cut.
The buildings of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and the Technical Education Development Authority (TESDA), Basco Central School, Batanes National High School, Provincial Capitol building and Sto Domingo Church are some of the structures which suffered damages.
