Residents Swept Away by Suma Floods
982 Disaster Victims Face Difficulties in Receiving Substantial Compensation
Seoul Area 'Fungsuhae Insurance' Subscription Rate Only 0.13%
On the 8th, due to the heavy rain that struck Seoul, Mr. Kim (75), who lived in Guryong Village, lost his home in an instant. Mr. Kim describes the situation as his house was collapsing. Photo by Gong Byung-sun mydillon@
[Asia Economy Reporters Yoo Byung-don, Gong Byung-sun, Oh Kyu-min] “My knee is uncomfortable, so I called the community center, and they said I have to drain the water myself…”
On the 10th, under a rare blue sky, Jeong Ok-soon (59, living in a semi-basement multi-family house in Sinsa-dong, Gwanak-gu), whom we met at the shelter set up at Munchang Elementary School in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, expressed disappointment about government support for disaster victims. Jeong said, “On the evening of the 8th, water rushed in, so I escaped in a hurry,” adding, “The landlord supported me with 45,000 won for one night’s stay, but I was at a loss about where to go.” She continued, “I somehow made it to the shelter, but there were only mats, tents, and blankets,” and “There has been no word yet about support from the district office or community center.”
570 Disaster Victims and 1,253 Temporarily Evacuated Due to Two Days of Heavy Rain
Since the 8th, over 500mm of heavy rain fell in Seoul and other central regions, causing hundreds of disaster victims. However, proper support for them has not been provided, and there are insufficient measures to compensate for damages such as house flooding.
According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) as of 6 a.m. on the 11th, casualties from the heavy rain include 11 deaths (6 in Seoul, 3 in Gyeonggi, 2 in Gangwon), 8 missing (3 in Seoul, 3 in Gyeonggi, 2 in Gangwon), and 19 injured (Gyeonggi). The number of disaster victims increased to 982 people in 548 households, mainly in Seoul and Gyeonggi. Additionally, 4,297 people in 2,042 households temporarily evacuated.
On the afternoon of the 10th, residents affected by heavy rain in Sindebang 1-dong, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, placed water-damaged belongings by the roadside. The residents rummaged through the items to see if there was anything usable. Photo by Oh Gyumin moh011@
Shelter at Munchang Elementary School, Dongjak-gu, Seoul
Park Bong-cheol (61), living in Shindaebang 1-dong, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, said, “Water started entering my house on Monday evening, and when I got out, it was already a sea of water,” adding, “I left my phone behind, so I didn’t hear any evacuation orders or news about shelters until I heard that a shelter was set up here (Munchang Elementary School).” Park also said, “I borrowed a water pump from the landlord and, together with my friend and wife, am pumping out water and organizing belongings,” lamenting, “I requested manpower from the community center, but only one person came.”
Kang Hong-soon (56), who lives in the same neighborhood, said, “I also asked the community center to send manpower, but maybe I was low on the priority list because no one came at all,” adding, “I contacted the district office to remove the waste piled up in front of my house, but there was no response, so I cleaned it up and salvaged the trash myself.”
Due to this heavy rain, Dongjak-gu suffered significant damage near Shindaebang 1-dong as Dorimcheon Stream overflowed and embankments collapsed. Dongjak District Office received manpower support from military units and volunteers, completed temporary repairs, and is internally discussing damage compensation.
Disaster Victim Shelter at Guryong Village, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
On the same day, a shelter for disaster victims was set up at Guryong Middle School in Gaepo-dong, Gangnam-gu. As of noon on the 10th, 301 disaster victims were recorded. Many residents of Guryong Village District 3 had nowhere to go after a landslide buried their homes. Lee Han-yeon (74), a resident of Guryong Village, said, “Water from a stream flowing down the mountain entered my house, but my situation is relatively better,” adding, “I heard some people’s houses completely collapsed, but I haven’t heard anything about support or restoration from the district office.”
Kim Jae-sung (55) said, “The district mayor visited the shelter but left without giving clear information about compensation or support to the disaster victims,” appealing, “In other parts of Gangnam, where wealthy people live, even car flooding makes the news, but here, soil buried houses and threatened lives, yet there is no attention.” He added, “There are many unauthorized buildings in the village, so it seems difficult to receive proper compensation.”
Some roofs of houses in Guryong Village collapsed due to a landslide caused by heavy rain that struck the Seoul area on the 8th. Photo by Gong Byung-sun mydillon@
'Lost Homes' Turned into Ruins in Guryong Village
In the afternoon, the press visited Guryong Village, which was literally in ruins. Houses in low-lying areas were all flooded, and some areas experienced landslides that caused houses to collapse. About five residents were busy restoring their homes, taking all belongings outside to dry and diligently wiping the interiors with cloths. Water marks remained up to ankle height on the wallpaper, and one resident was searching the house to see if money left inside had been washed away. No district or city officials were seen assisting with flood recovery.
Kim (75), who was cleaning his house, said, “Water started entering the house around 10 p.m., and by 11 p.m., soil pouring down from Guryongsan Mountain covered the house,” recalling, “If I hadn’t left earlier, I might have been buried and died.” Kim added, “I haven’t heard anything about recovery support yet,” and gave a bitter smile, saying, “I think I have to do the restoration myself as much as I can.”
Damage Recovery and Compensation Plans 'Uncertain'... Flood and Windstorm Insurance Subscription Rate in Seoul Only 0.13%
Although disaster victims lost their homes in an instant, the path to compensation is uncertain. The CDSCH has identified 3,755 private facilities, including houses and stores, as flooded. For natural disasters, the government provides disaster relief funds as a fixed amount, but the affected area must first be designated a ‘special disaster zone.’ The support amounts are 16 million won for complete housing damage, 8 million won for partial damage, and only 2 million won for simple flooding.
On the afternoon of the 10th, residents affected by heavy rain in Sindebang 1-dong, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, placed water-damaged belongings by the roadside. The residents rummaged through the items to see if there was anything usable. Photo by Oh Gyumin moh011@
Another option is ‘Flood and Windstorm Insurance.’ This policy insurance is managed by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and operated by private insurers such as Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance and Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance. The central government and local governments subsidize up to 92% of the insurance premiums. For multi-family housing such as row houses (based on housing area under 50㎡), coverage can be up to 40.5 million won, and 4 million won is paid in case of flooding.
However, the subscription rate for flood and windstorm insurance in Seoul is only 0.13%, so very few people are expected to receive compensation this time. The number of subscribers in Gangnam-gu and Seocho-gu, where flooding damage was severe, is only 66 and 87 cases, respectively, and Gwanak-gu, where three deaths occurred due to flooding, reportedly has only 149 subscribers. In fact, all disaster victims met on this day were unaware of the existence of flood and windstorm insurance.
Regarding this, a Seoul city official explained, “We are actively encouraging flood and windstorm insurance subscriptions through subway advertisements and other means,” adding, “Because there have not been many recent heavy rains, people probably did not feel the need to subscribe to flood and windstorm insurance.”
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
