Gurye-gun, Severe Flooding of Seomjin River and Seosicheon Due to Heavy Rain... Record-Breaking Damage Occurs

380mm Rain Bomb in Two Days, 1,000 Disaster Victims Due to Flooding of Seomjingang and Seosicheon Rivers

1,182 of 13,000 Households Flooded, 421ha of Farmland Submerged, 3,650 Livestock Damaged

Most Areas' Water Supply Cut Off for 7 Days Due to Intake Flooding, Emergency Restoration and Disinfection Underway

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yuk Miseok] In Gurye-gun, Jeollanam-do, heavy rainfall of 380mm over two days caused the Seomjin River and Seosicheon to overflow, resulting in massive damage.

According to Gurye-gun on the 9th, due to this heavy rain, 17 villages in Gurye-eup and Muncheok, Ganjeon, Toji, and Masan-myeon were submerged, forcing about 1,000 residents to evacuate to 12 shelters. Among 13,000 households in Gurye-gun, 1,182 households were flooded.

Fortunately, there were no fatalities, and two people sustained minor injuries.

The damage in Gurye-eup is severe as the Seosicheon embankment collapsed due to the heavy rain. Among 5,000 households in Gurye-eup, 946 households suffered flood damage.

A total of 529 people were temporarily trapped in nursing hospitals and residences. Of these, 399 were rescued, and 130 patients who were trapped when the first floor of a nursing hospital was flooded have now been freed as the water receded.

Massive damage to agricultural and livestock products has also occurred. Farmland covering 421 hectares was flooded, and it is estimated that a total of 3,650 cattle and pigs were affected.

Public facility damage continued. The Gurye water intake station and Seomjin River water intake station were flooded, cutting off the water supply to the entire Gurye-gun area except Sandong-myeon. Restoration is expected to take about seven days.

The water and sewage office was also flooded, making sewage treatment impossible. A Gurye-gun official stated that the sewage treatment plant is currently inaccessible due to flooding.

The Gurye 119 Safety Center was submerged, and its office was relocated to the Gurye-gun Office Civil Service Department. Eleven public facilities, including the Culture and Arts Center, Comprehensive Social Welfare Center, and the 5-day Market, were flooded.

The public bus terminal was temporarily submerged, halting city and intercity bus operations. Currently, some routes are operating, but due to power and communication outages, only cash payments are accepted. Train operations at Gurye Station were also temporarily suspended.

National Route 17, connecting Namwon, Gurye, and Suncheon, is closed due to the collapse of the Seosi 1 Bridge. The Gurye Bridge connecting Suncheon and Gurye was temporarily closed as water levels exceeded the warning level. The area around Hwagae Market, heading toward Gwangyang and Hadong, was flooded and temporarily closed but is now passable. Nine sections, including Cheoneunsa~Seongsamjae~Dogyesamgeori, Hwaeomsa Samgeori, and Ganjeon-myeon Ganmun Roundabout, are under traffic control.

One thousand personnel, including county officials, firefighters, police officers, and soldiers, have been mobilized for evacuee rescue and emergency restoration.

Gurye-gun stated that damage reports are continuously being received, and the scale of damage is expected to increase. Emergency road repairs and urgent disinfection are currently underway.