GOOD Samaritans from both the private and public sectors have been responding to calls for assistance by the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) and the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWD).
Aside from the rescue teams of the CDRRMO, the Philippine National Police-Northern Mindanao deployed 1200 policemen together with 31 patrol cars and four 6x6 trucks to retrieve people who were stranded especially inside the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines (USTSP).
The 4th Infantry Diamond Division of the Philippine Army also sent out a company of its troops to assist in the rescue operations. Both PNP and 4ID also further aided in the road clearing operations and in the distribution of relief goods the day after the flood.
Volunteers from Kagay and other White Water Rafting outfits responded to calls for help, plucking people trapped in neck-deep flood waters and transport them to dry ground.
"There were eleven of us who were there and we started rescuing people at seven p.m. We focused mostly on the students who were still inside USTSP but we also went to other parts of Cogon, Lapasan, and CM Recto. We were able to transport some people to Savemore or to other places where they wanted to be transported," Roldan Kaamiño, the owner of Kagay White Water Rafting.
SM City has been coordinating with the CSWD to contribute grocery relief goods and other necessities to be given to people in the evacuation sites. Like SM City during the flood, Limketkai Mall, and Centrio Ayala Mall opened its doors to the stranded people who were either trapped inside or who were those in the vicinity. Both malls offered their buildings as a temporary sanctuary and did not close down until all people were rescued.
With the aftermath of the flood sending thousands of families and individuals homeless, the CSWD responded by providing food, water, and other necessities in the 19 evacuations sites. Tsini Solis II, the Project Coordinator of the Planning and Research Unit of CSWD however said that as of today, there are only four active evacuation sites such as those in Iponan, Patag, Gusa, and Cugman.
"This means that the people in the other evacuation sites already went back to their homes. However, even though they have gone CSWD will still give food packs and other assistance to them until the end of the week," Solis said.
Other institutions like the Xavier University Social Development office already gave out relief goods to CSWD to be handed out to the remaining evacuation centers. The University is also opened its gymnasium during the flood where about sixty stranded people were transported by the rescue teams.
Pan e Dolci initiated the distribution of food packs to the stranded people inside USTSP during the flood. Upon hearing the news about the students who were already weak of hunger and dehydration inside the school campus, Ruben Castor, one of the owners of Pan e Dolci decided to cook food for them.
"It was very instinctive for us people who love to cook to provide food for those who are hungry. That is why when I heard of the situation in USTSP, we in the Pan e Dolci kitchen immediately started cooking. we prepared chicken adobo, fried egg, and chicken carbonara for them and asked a rescue team to transport the food to USTSP. However, we were not able to give food to all the people there," Castro said.
Pan e Dolci Kitchen also initiated a soup kitchen for the people in the evacuation areas where they have been serving Chicken Arrozcaldo and bread.
Castro is calling on people to donate food supplies and utensils so that they can continue feeding evacuees.