630 TONS of rice are being sent to Cagayan de Oro City and Misamis Oriental by World Food Program, the United Nations' humanitarian relief arm, to help ease hunger in flood-stricken areas.

Patricia Artadi-Facultad of the UN World Food Programme (UNWFP), said the first convoy of trucks are expected to reach Cagayan de Oro Saturday from the agency's warehouse in Polloc, Cotabato.

Arroyo Watch: Sun.Star blog on President Arroyo

She said a shipment of rice will also be given to Iligan City and the province of Lanao del Norte where hundreds of residents were also affected by the flash floods.

"The UN was prompted to extend rice assistance to the four areas after receiving a request from the respective local governments and the Department of Social Welfare and Development," UNWFP country director and representative Stephen Anderson said in a statement.

He said they are helping these cities and provinces that had been hit by major weather disturbances particularly because a UNWFP study had shown that excessive rains and flashfloods proved to be a serious threat to food security in a given region.

Anderson also said the organization had also been worried about the swelling number of people being displaced from their homes and into evacuation centers.

"The food support should especially be extended to farmers and fisher folk," Facultad said.

The National Disaster Coordinating Council said around 125,400 people from Northern Mindanao -- Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental, and Lanao del Norte -- have already suffered from the bad weather.

In Misamis Oriental, the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council reported more than 3,536 families or 17,983 persons have been in various evacuation centers since Sunday.

The Cagayan de Oro Disaster Coordinating Council said 17,638 families or 91,746 persons were affected by the series of flash floods that have hit the city since Sunday.

"The restoration of livelihoods of the affected people could take time; hence WFP announces this response in hopes that the food support could provide immediate relief to their situation. We remain concerned over the growing number of persons displaced by this natural disaster," Anderson said.

Teddy Sabugaa, chief of the Misamis Oriental Provincial Disaster Coordinating Agency welcomed the announcement from the UN agency.

"We encourage more assistance because what we're talking about now are the daily consumption of affected families and the question of sustainability," Sabugaa told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro.

City disaster official Emilio Rana also welcomed the help from the international community.

"Nagpasalamat kita nga nagpakabana pud ang international community pinaagi sa ilang hinabang kay dili ikalimod dako gyud ang kadaot nga nahitabo sa dakbayan," Rana said. (With Annabelle L. Ricalde)