The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has prepositioned 20,089 family food packs (FFPs) in strategic areas of Eastern Visayas for an immediate response as several areas in the region have started to experience rains.

The stocking of food supplies will ensure faster delivery of relief goods in case there would be severe flooding, DSWD regional information officer Joshua Kempis said in a phone interview Friday.

Of the total, 850 FFPs are in Catbalogan City, Samar; 100 in Naval, Biliran; 4,121 in Allen, Northern Samar, 600 in Borongan City, Eastern Samar; and 14,418 at the DSWD regional resource operations center (RROC) in Palo, Leyte.

For non-food items, there are 200 hygiene kits in Borongan City; 1,220 hygiene kits in Allen; 1,596 kitchen kits and 1,218 family kits in Catarman, Northern Samar; 3,134 hygiene kits, 1,774 kitchen kits, 3,096 family kits, and 1,358 sleeping kits at DSWD-RROC in Palo town.

“The DSWD has been closely watching the weather situation in six provinces to guide us on where to focus our response efforts. We will produce more FFPs as the need arises,” the DSWD said.

Each FFP contains six kilos of rice, four cans of corned beef, four cans of tuna flakes, two cans of sardines, five sachets of coffee, and five sachets of cereal drink. (PNA)