CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga - The Department of Social Welfare and Development-Central Luzon (DSWD-3) has prepositioned some 16,000 family food packs as part of its disaster preparedness efforts. DSWD Regional Information Officer Reiner Gorospe said on Monday their agency is taking a proactive stance to provide a timely response to those who might be affected by Tropical Storm (TS) Florita. "This is to ensure that there are supplies which can be readily and easily accessed in the wake of Tropical Storm Florita," Gorospe said in a radio interview. Based on the latest data from the Disaster Response Information Management Section of the DSWD-3, a total 16,654 family food packs worth some PHP8.28 million are now available at the agency's warehouses in the region. Aside from the family food packs, there are also non-food items amounting to PHP6.38 million readily available for distribution to the provinces that might be affected by "Florita". The non-food items consist of family kits, sleeping kits, hygiene kits, mosquito nets, laminated sacks, plastic mats, modular tents, and kitchen utensils Meanwhile, the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Operations Center (RDRRMC) is now on red alert status as "Florita" intensified into a tropical storm. Cesar M. Idio, the chairperson of the RDRRMC and regional director of the Office of Civil Defense-Central Luzon (OCD-3), said on Monday the provincial, city, and municipal disaster councils all over the region are now closely monitoring the situation as the center of TS Florita is estimated at 215 kilometers east of Casiguran, Aurora. Idio said the local disaster risk reduction and management councils are directed to closely monitor the situation in their area of responsibility, conduct a pre-disaster risk assessment, prepare for possible preemptive evacuation and strengthen localized warnings to communities, among others. He advised the residents living in the low-lying areas to be on alert for possible flash floods. To ensure the safety of the residents in Casiguran, Mayor Roynald Soriano suspended afternoon classes in high school and elementary levels in all public and private schools. Soriano likewise ordered the suspension of all outdoor activities along the coastal villages. (PNA) }