Gu Implements 2020 Winter Comprehensive Measures... Five Areas Including Health & Environment, Snow Removal, Cold Wave, Safety, and Livelihood to be Addressed for 4 Months from the 15th... Minimizing Resident Inconvenience with Ondol Chairs Operation and Expanded Automatic Brine Spraying Devices
[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Dongjak-gu (Mayor Chang-woo Lee) will implement the ‘2020 Winter Comprehensive Measures’ for four months from the 15th to March 15, 2021.
This comprehensive plan is prepared in five areas?▲health and environment ▲snow removal ▲cold wave ▲safety ▲livelihood?to ensure that all residents can spend a warm and safe winter.
◆ Health and Environment Measures for Safety from COVID-19
The district will promote thorough health and environmental measures to help residents have a healthy winter.
First, to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infection in the community, the ‘Disaster Safety Quarantine Countermeasures Headquarters’ will operate from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends.
In case of emergency situations at night, immediate response will be coordinated with the health center’s situation room.
Also, starting in December, an ‘Open Respiratory Clinic’ equipped with examination rooms, specimen collection rooms, and X-ray rooms will be established and operated on the first floor of the Dongjak-gu Health Center.
This clinic will provide primary medical care for respiratory and fever patients in the area and will conduct COVID-19 testing as needed.
Furthermore, to respond to high concentrations of fine dust, a T/F team will be formed as an execution control tower. When emergency reduction measures are issued, emergency disaster text messages will be sent to residents, and situation and action guidelines will be disseminated through the district website and electronic display boards at community centers.
◆ Creating a Safe Traffic Environment for Residents through Efficient Snow Removal Measures
The district will establish and operate a Snow Removal Headquarters until March 15 next year to ensure safe passage for residents.
This year, automatic brine spraying devices will be additionally installed on three steep roads: a section of Sadang-ro (in front of Sanghyeon Middle School), Yeouidaebang-ro 36-gil (in front of Sungui Girls’ High School), and Dongjak-daero 39ga-gil (in front of Dongjak Elementary School), conducting initial snow removal at a total of 11 locations.
One additional large snow removal spreader has been secured, operating a total of 34 units, expanding the snow removal range compared to last year.
Also, a civilian snow removal task force composed of residents from 15 neighborhoods will be operated to promote ‘clearing snow in front of one’s house or store,’ conducting snow removal even in alleys and side streets.
◆ Protection Measures for Cold Wave Vulnerable Groups such as Low-income Households, Elderly, and Homeless
From December to February next year, the district will implement proactive welfare measures for vulnerable groups in welfare blind spots, such as low-income elderly living alone and long-term utility bill defaulters.
First, welfare planners and neighborhood-level crisis family discovery teams will carry out various activities for the target groups, including ▲checking on their well-being ▲identifying major welfare needs ▲providing customized services such as emergency welfare support and national basic security ▲linking to the Hope Ondol Crisis Emergency Fund support project.
Also, during the measure period, a total of seven ‘cold wave shelters and temporary evacuation centers’ will be designated and operated in preparation for heavy snow and cold waves.
Cold wave shelters will operate at five locations: three comprehensive welfare centers for the elderly in Sadang, Sangdo Eunbit, and Dongjak, and two district-run senior centers in Noryangjin 1-dong and Sangdo 2-dong.
Temporary evacuation facilities will be set up at senior centers in Sadang 5-dong and Sindaebang 2-dong to provide quick evacuation spaces in emergencies.
Additionally, from next month for three months, ondol-heated seats will be operated at bus stops with high pedestrian traffic to minimize inconvenience to users caused by the cold wave.
Moreover, from December 21 to February 5 next year, child meals will be supported for a total of 1,395 children in the area through Dream Tree Card charging and lunchbox delivery, with continuous identification of children in need of meals planned.
◆ Protecting Residents from Various Safety Accidents
The district designated December 2 to 11 as the steep slope facility inspection period and conducted winter safety inspections of hazardous construction sites, steep slope facilities, and housing construction sites jointly with responsible officials and external experts.
Through this, safety management of adjacent structures and the state of environmental cleanup around construction sites were checked. Identified hazards were guided to owners (managers) for repair and reinforcement measures, and snow removal measures as well as gas and oil facility safety and fire prevention measures around construction sites were also prepared.
In addition, fire prevention and safety inspections will be conducted at multi-use facilities frequently visited by residents until December.
The targets include 10 real estate cultural assets, five local movie theaters and performance halls, 471 welfare facilities, 14 traditional markets and shopping districts, and 32 bathhouses and large lodging businesses. The inspections will verify ▲compliance with safety of electrical and gas facilities ▲fire extinguisher recharge status and evacuation route securing ▲and the risk status of building structures.
◆ Stabilizing Residents’ Lives through Price Stability and Energy Supply
To stabilize the living economy, the district designated 14 key items for kimchi-making season and Lunar New Year holiday essentials and discloses price trends surveyed at traditional markets and marts to residents through the district website.
Also, to ensure smooth heating supply in winter, the district will guide 18 LPG and oil supply businesses in the area on ▲pre-stocking quantities in anticipation of winter demand ▲preventing delivery avoidance to high-altitude areas ▲checking for proper quantity supply ▲and cracking down on similar volatile fuels to ensure stable fuel supply.
Kim Hyun-ho, Director of Planning and Coordination, said, “This year, we have prepared more detailed winter safety measures not only to protect vulnerable groups from cold waves and conduct safety inspections but also to protect residents from COVID-19. We will do our best to ensure residents can spend a warm and safe winter through thorough preparation and prompt response.”
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