Caraga: Thousands of families displaced by floods and landslides triggered by last week's shear line in the Caraga Region have received government relief assistance during simultaneous distribution operations over the weekend.

According to Philippines News Agency, the Department of Social Welfare and Development-Caraga (DSWD-13) stated that the immediate augmentation aims to reinforce the resources of the local government, ensuring that affected families receive timely and sufficient food assistance while response operations are ongoing. A report by the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council-13 indicated that heavy rains affected 68,347 families or 271,208 individuals.

Of the total affected, 16,706 families or 62,906 individuals have evacuated their homes. The council reported that 5,830 families or 20,038 individuals were sheltered in 98 evacuation centers, while 10,876 families or 42,868 individuals remained outside the centers.

On Sunday night, the DSWD-13 delivered 8,500 family food packs to Bislig City, Surigao del Sur, to support 23,651 displaced residents. The day before, the agency continued relief operations in Agusan del Sur, delivering 11,000 food packs and 500 modular tents to Bunawan town. Of the food packs sent to Bunawan, 517 were distributed in Barangay Teodoro, 198 at the Agusan del Sur State College of Agriculture and Technology, and 319 at East Bunawan Central Elementary School.

Additional deliveries included 2,100 food packs to Sta. Josefa town, 803 to Barangay Aurora, and 1,300 to Barangay Lucena in Prosperidad town, all in Agusan del Sur. DSWD-13 also delivered 7,218 food packs to the affected families in Veruela, Agusan del Sur.

The DSWD-13 acknowledged the support of partner agencies and local government units in ensuring the efficient delivery of assistance. The agency remains on heightened alert to provide a timely, coordinated response to affected communities.