MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has gone “blue alert” amid heavy rains due to a low pressure area (LPA) off Northern Luzon.

DSWD Disaster Response Management Bureau Director Maria Isabel Lanada confirmed this at the agency’s media forum on Thursday.

The alert level status, according to Lanada, prompted the department’s central office to coordinate with its regional counterparts in Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, and the Cordillera Administrative Region in anticipation of inclement weather.

“We are preparing so that our food and non-food items are readily available in all areas that may be hit by this low pressure area,” she said in Filipino.

Lanada noted that ready for deployment were P147,722,704 in standby funds, 3,020,548 family food packs, and 337,494 non-food items.

Non-food items include kits to set up evacuation centers with protected spaces for women and children, family kits, and hygiene kits.

Expected to get  100 to 200 mm of rain from Thursday to Friday afternoon are Ilocos Norte, Pangasinan, Zambales, and Bataan, according to a heavy rainfall outlook issued on Thursday afternoon by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa)

Meanwhile, areas expected to get 50 to 100 mm of rain are Batanes, Cagayan, Apayao, Abra, Kalinga, Metro Manila, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Benguet, Ifugao, Mountain Province, Tarlac, Pampanga, Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna, Cavite, Batanga,s and Occidental Mindoro. /atm