Gwangjin-gu Opens Disaster Safety Countermeasures Headquarters to Prepare for Summer Flood and Wind Damage

Gwangjin-gu Opens Disaster Safety Countermeasures Headquarters to Prepare for Summer Flood and Wind Damage... Operating 24 Hours

Opening Ceremony on the 15th Includes Plaque Unveiling, Flood and Wind Damage Countermeasure Report, and Promotional Video Screening

A Total of 68 Task Force Members Will Oversee Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Until October 15, Operating 24/7

This Year, ‘Flood Warning and Alert System’ and ‘Companion Partner Service’ Implemented for Enhanced Preparedness

Gwangjin-gu (Mayor Kim Kyung-ho) opened the Disaster Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on the 15th to prepare for summer flood and wind damage, holding an opening ceremony.

The district will operate the Disaster Safety Countermeasures Headquarters 24 hours a day from May 15 to October 15 to promptly and systematically prevent disasters such as heavy rain and typhoons during the summer season.

The headquarters is responsible for overseeing and coordinating all matters related to disaster preparedness and recovery. Led by the district mayor as the head, the response system is composed of 68 task force members across 13 functional teams, including the Situation Management General Team, Traffic Countermeasures Team, and Social Order Maintenance Team.

At the opening ceremony, Gwangjin-gu Mayor Kim Kyung-ho, the deputy mayor, heads of various departments and offices, and leaders of the local autonomous disaster prevention groups participated in the plaque unveiling, listened to the 2023 flood and wind damage countermeasure report, and watched a promotional video on flood and wind damage countermeasures.

The district is implementing the 2023 flood and wind damage countermeasures through activities such as inspecting and maintaining flood control facilities and vulnerable areas, installing and inspecting flood prevention facilities (flood barriers, backflow prevention devices), checking and training on the operation of pumps at the district office and community service centers, dredging sewage pipelines and cleaning rainwater inlets, conducting training on opening and closing the Yukgapmun floodgate for flood preparedness, and operating disaster response organizations (sewage mobile teams, flood control patrol teams, and private emergency recovery companies).

Gwangjin-gu Mayor Kim Kyung-ho requested, “Please continue thorough inspections to ensure that flood prevention facilities are not damaged or lost,” and added, “I hope cross-drain rainwater inlets will be expanded in low-lying areas.”

Following this, video calls were made with five rainwater pumping stations that pump out rainwater inflow during heavy rain. These pumping stations are equipped with an automated system that allows visual confirmation of pump and sluice gate operation and opening/closing status between stations. Mayor Kim Kyung-ho greeted and encouraged the staff working at each rainwater pumping station.

For the first time this year, Gwangjin-gu is strengthening flood and wind damage preparedness by implementing the ‘Flood Warning and Alert System’ and the ‘Companion Partner Service.’

In Seoul, when hourly rainfall exceeds 55mm or road flooding surpasses 15cm, a flood forecast is issued to the district and related agencies. The ‘Flood Warning and Alert System’ is a system where the district sends flood warnings via disaster text messages to residents after on-site verification.

Additionally, the ‘Companion Partner Service’ is implemented for severely disabled persons and the elderly living in semi-basement homes. Companion partners, consisting of about five household heads, neighborhood leaders, neighbors, and care officials per household, assist 33 vulnerable households in Gwangjin-gu to evacuate quickly when flood warnings and alerts are issued.