Displaced Persons Total 1,937 Centered in Seoul and Gyeonggi
[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) announced on the 14th that since the heavy rain began on the 8th, 7,595 people have evacuated their residences across 55 cities and counties in 7 provinces.
As of 6 p.m. on the same day, 1,937 disaster victims have suffered damage such as house flooding, mainly in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. Among them, 1,344 people have not yet returned home.
There are 5,658 people who temporarily evacuated due to damage concerns, of whom 3,750 have not returned home. A total of 4,935 people from 2,045 households are staying in 132 temporary shelters, while the rest are staying at relatives' homes or elsewhere.
Casualties include 14 deaths (8 in Seoul, 4 in Gyeonggi, 2 in Gangwon), 6 missing persons (2 in Gyeonggi, 2 in Gangwon, 2 in Chungnam), which remains unchanged from the previous count. There are 26 injured (2 in Seoul, 23 in Gyeonggi, 1 in Chungnam).
At around 1:44 a.m. on the same day, a Bongo truck was swept away by floodwaters near Naryeong-ri, Eunsan-myeon, Buyeo-gun, Chungnam, and two people on the truck went missing.
The fire department has deployed 220 firefighters and about 20 pieces of equipment to conduct search operations. As of 6 a.m. that day, Buyeo recorded 110.6 mm of rainfall, the highest hourly rainfall in August.
Search efforts for an elderly couple missing in Wonju, Gangwon, and a woman in her 70s missing in Gwangju, Gyeonggi, continued for the sixth day. In Seoul, four people were reported missing in Seocho-gu due to the heavy rain; three were found dead earlier, and the remaining one was identified as a false report.
Due to the influence of the monsoon front, a heavy rain warning was issued for the Seoul metropolitan area on the 30th, and a vehicle is creating a spray of water near Jeungsan Bridge in Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@
The total damage to private facilities has increased to 6,876 cases, and damage to public facilities stands at 1,030 cases.
Damage in Chungnam, where heavy rain began the previous day, has significantly increased. Flood damage to crops covers 1,140 hectares, with Chungnam accounting for the largest portion at 541 hectares. Livestock losses amount to 73,552 animals. There have been 6,760 cases of house and commercial building flooding, with Seoul accounting for 5,749 of these.
Landslides have increased to 265 cases, with Gyeonggi having the highest number at 174, followed by Gangwon with 39, and Chungnam with 4.
Due to the influence of the monsoon front, a heavy rain warning was issued for the Seoul metropolitan area on the 30th, and soil has accumulated on the Bulgwangcheon Stream walking trail in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@
Preemptive controls are being implemented in preparation for additional rainfall. Nine general roads are closed. On national roads, a section of Route 31 (11 km from Hachuri to Hapgang-ri in Inje, Gangwon) is under traffic control. Twenty-five riverside parking lots, 11 riverside areas, 12 Sewol bridges, and seven trails in three national parks are closed.
With atmospheric instability leading to warnings in parts of Gyeonggi and Gangwon, the southward movement of the stationary front is expected to bring rain starting late afternoon on the 15th from the Seoul metropolitan area and Gangwon, expanding to southern regions.
Meanwhile, Kim Seong-ho, Director of the Disaster and Safety Management Headquarters at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, held a meeting at 5 p.m. on the same day to review preparations for heavy rain and damage recovery, instructing related agencies to prioritize rapid search for missing persons and emergency restoration in the Chungcheong region affected by the heavy rain.
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