MANILA — The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development on Friday said it instructed its regional offices in the northern Philippines to provide shelter assistance to earthquake victims.

The DHSUD issued a memorandum to its offices in the Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, and Cordillera regions to respond to the needs of the victims in terms of shelter.

A 7-magnitude earthquake hit Tayum, Abra on Wednesday, damaging hundreds of houses, triggering landslides, and knocking down power. So far, 6 people have reportedly died due to the incident.

“Upon instruction of the National Risk Reduction Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) to activate its shelter cluster yesterday (July 27) afternoon, we promptly alerted our concerned regional offices to put into motion the regional clusters so that we can monitor and facilitate emergency response and humanitarian assistance to those in need,” DHSUD-OIC Assistant Secretary Melissa Aradanas said.

The agency said it was also coordinating with the International Organization for Migration to provide 3,000 shelter-grade tarps for affected families.

“We are mobilizing our partners as well as all members of the shelter clusters to harmonize our efforts and facilitate faster response,” Aradanas said.

The DHSUD said around 2,312 families or 8,314 individuals were in 31 evacuation centers, while 413 families were staying with their relatives in nearby provinces.

Abra was placed under a state of calamity on Thursday, July 28.

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