The United States government and Holywood actress Demi Moore were among those who extended help to the victims of Saturday’s massive flooding in Metro Manila and Rizal province, described as the worst in more than 20 years.

However, the devastation caused by tropical storm “Ondoy” was so massive that the Department of Social Welfare and Development yesterday urged the public to extend further help to victims, which include more than 75,000 families in five regions.

Hollywood stars Demi Moore and Demi Lovato both called on the people to help flood victims in the Philippines. They made the appeal on popular micro-blogging site Twitter, where they asked the public to contact the American Red Cross to help.

DSWD Secretary Esperanza Cabral said individuals or organizations who may want to help may send food, water, clothing, beddings, towels, and items for personal hygiene to any Petron gas station drop-off points nationwide, the DSWD Central Office or DSWD field offices.

Donors may call the following numbers for more details: Disaster Relief Operations, Monitoring and Information Center (DROMIC)-Central Office, 488-3199 (24 hours); DROMIC-National Capital Region, 931-8101 to 05 local 506, 951-7119 (24 hours); Crisis Intervention Unit (CIU)-National Capital Region- 734-8635 (24 hours).

Based on a DSWD report, as of yesterday, “Ondoy” affected 75,629 families or 375,592 persons, mostly from Regions I (Ilocos Region), III (Central Luzon), IV-A (CALABARZON), XII (SOCCSKSARGEN), and the National Capital Region (NCR).

Cabral said some 200 evacuation centers have been set up to assist 22,943 families with 115,030 persons in the regions affected.

These include 143 in NCR that houses 10,686 families or 56,986 persons; 18 centers in Region III serving 3,240 families or 15,332 persons, 35 evacuation center in Region IV-A serving 9,002 families or 42,637 persons, and one in Region XII with 15 families or 75 persons.

Cabral said the evacuees were provided hot water, hot meals and other basic needs.

In the NCR, evacuation centers were setup in the cities of Mandaluyong, Manila, Marikina, Muntinlupa, Navotas, Parañaque, Pasig, Pateros, Quezon, and Taguig.

Meanwhile, families who preferred to stay out of evacuation centers were nonetheless assisted with food and non-food commodities.

A preliminary report on the number of totally and partially damaged houses, documented 67 totally damaged, and 33 partially damaged houses in Regions III, IVA, and XII.

Cabral also ordered DSWD field offices to activate their Quick Response and Social Welfare and Disaster teams to provide technical assistance and resource augmentation to the disaster-affected local government units.

Help continued to come from the US government for the victims of storm “Ondoy.”

Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesperson Ed Malaya said the US government deployed personnel and equipment to help in the search and rescue operations.

He said that based on a message relayed by US Embassy press attaché Rebecca Thompson, one transport helicopter and two inflatable boats arrived at the Villamor Air Base between 10 and 10:30 a.m. yesterday as part of US assistance to the government’s ongoing search and rescue.

The inflatable boats, along with some US Navy personnel, were dispatched at around 1 p.m. bound for the search and rescue launch site, which was the Marikina River near Camp Aguinaldo en route to Cainta, Rizal.

This, according to Thompson, was “to help the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the National Disaster Coordinating Council in their search and rescue” operations.

Asked how many US Navy personnel had been dispatched, Thompson told the Manila Bulletin that they dispatched a "small contingent."

She also said the US Embassy continues to coordinate with the NDCC to see how they can be of further help.

It will be recalled that on Saturday following the onslaught of tropical storm “Ondoy,” the US government pledged US$50,000 in immediate relief assistance through the Philippine National Red Cross.

The funding assistance will be sourced from the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Meanwhile, Filipino communities and overseas Filipino workers (OFW) organizations have also been urged to mobilize and encourage their members to make donations in the form of relief goods and clothes.

John Leonard Monterona, Migrante Middle East regional coordinator and Migrante sectoral party vice chairperson, said Sunday he was deeply shocked by the devastation wrought by Ondoy.

“The donations will be for the relief operations of our allied non-government organizations in Metro Manila,’’ he said.

“We also call on other OFW groups and Filipino communities to come to the rescue of flood-victims,’’ he said, adding that Migrante chapters will coordinate with these organizations in the Middle East.

He also vowed to seek assistance from RP officials abroad “so that they could gather as many as possible goods, clothes and donations.’’

“Wala namang ibang magtutulungan kundi tayong mga magkababayan kahit milya-milya man ang layo natin sa ating Bayang sinilangan,” he stressed.

Monterona advised the Filipino community and other OFWs groups to contact Migrante officers in Saudi Arabia for their donations. (With a report from Shianee Mamanglu)