Lee Jae-myung Visits Icheon and Gapyeong Flood Damage Sites: "Even Small-Scale Projects Require Disaster Impact Assessments"

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, visited the heavy rain damage sites in Icheon and Gapyeong on the 6th to console residents and inspect the flood response status.

First, in the morning, Governor Lee visited the village hall of Sanyang 1-ri, Yul-myeon, Icheon City, to inspect the surroundings and listen to the grievances of the affected residents.

In Icheon, heavy rain on the 2nd caused the collapse of the Sanyang Reservoir embankment, flooding the Sanyang 1-ri village with about 65,000 tons of water. Although there were no casualties, more than 10 households were flooded, several temporary buildings were swept away, and rice paddies and fields were submerged. Property damage amounted to 865 million KRW for public facilities, 95 million KRW for private facilities, and 5 hectares of farmland were flooded.

After inspecting the site, Governor Lee emphasized, "We need to build stronger sluice gates and reduce the usual water storage capacity. The reservoir management method should be reviewed starting with high-risk areas in the province."

He then encouraged the affected residents and officials involved in the restoration by saying, "The province will do its best to support so that Icheon citizens can quickly overcome the disaster and recover."

In the afternoon, Governor Lee moved to Sanyu-ri, Gapyeong-eup, Gapyeong County, to inspect the landslide accident site.

On the 3rd, a landslide caused by soil runoff destroyed a pension, resulting in three deaths due to burial.

Governor Lee stated, "There will likely be increased demand for housing construction on slopes in the future, but as the climate becomes increasingly unstable, it is necessary to strengthen the standards for issuing permits for mountain land use to ensure safety. Disaster impact assessments should also be conducted for small-scale projects. Additionally, since mountain management authority lies with city and county governments, we are exploring ways the province can assist."

He requested Kim Seong-gi, Mayor of Gapyeong County, to "complete the damage survey promptly as the province will support the restoration costs."

Meanwhile, Gyeonggi Province evacuated a total of 1,466 residents, including 1,209 in Yeoncheon and 257 in Paju, to minimize flood damage in the Imjin River basin.

Residents are taking refuge in 25 temporary shelters, including schools, village halls, and community centers. The province conducted pre-disinfection at the shelters to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and distributed masks, hand sanitizers, and conducted temperature checks for entrants.

Additionally, to provide emergency livelihood support to residents, a total of 5,000 emergency relief sets were distributed. In cooperation with KT and Korea Electric Power Corporation, emergency communication and power restoration teams are operating. A disaster site environmental maintenance team is also working to ensure rapid recovery.