Citizen Safety First! Pohang City Conducts Realistic Drills... Enhanced Response to Weather Anomalies↑↑

Extreme Rainfall Response Drill Conducted to Prepare for Weather Anomalies

Establishing Cooperation System with Related Agencies, Initial Response and Evacuation Training

With forecasts indicating a high likelihood of a ‘Super El Ni?o’ this summer, accompanied by extreme weather events such as heatwaves, typhoons, and heavy rainfall, Pohang City has taken proactive measures to prepare for abnormal climate conditions.

On the 9th, Pohang City conducted a comprehensive emergency response drill at the Daesong-myeon Administrative Welfare Center, simulating an extreme rainfall scenario of 110mm. The drill involved related organizations including the Southern Fire Station, Southern Police Station, Marine Corps, Korea Electric Power Corporation Pohang Branch, KT Pohang Branch, relevant city departments, and the Autonomous Disaster Prevention Group.

On the 9th, Pohang City (Deputy Mayor Kim Nam-il) conducted a joint response drill with related organizations at Daesong-myeon Administrative Welfare Center to prepare for extreme heavy rainfall.

During the drill, a typhoon and heavy rainfall scenario was realistically simulated, proceeding through the following stages: ▲ briefing on typhoon occurrence and damage status ▲ holding a situation assessment meeting ▲ preemptive preparation and initial response ▲ support for recovery resources ▲ evacuation drill following the issuance of a resident evacuation order ▲ and damage recovery efforts.

Notably, the drill was attended by heads of the Southern and Northern District Offices, as well as heads of towns, townships, and neighborhoods, and disaster managers, who shared step-by-step disaster response measures and resident evacuation methods, thereby enhancing disaster response capabilities applicable in real situations.

Unlike previous drills, this exercise precisely assumed actual damage scenarios and was designed to enable timely responses to detailed action items required on-site for each situation. It also presented models adaptable to each town, township, and neighborhood according to the circumstances.

Based on the results of this drill, all towns, townships, and neighborhoods plan to conduct their own training sessions on disaster preparedness, resident evacuation, and response recovery processes over two days, on the 20th and 21st, to further improve regional response capabilities.

Related organizations and private safety groups will also share the accumulated response capabilities from this drill and ensure organic cooperation and coordinated response in the event of an actual emergency.

Starting with this drill, Pohang City aims to strengthen regional preparedness against typhoon and rainfall damage, secure necessary equipment and supplies sufficiently, and enhance emergency evacuation capabilities to protect citizens’ safety.

Additionally, on the 27th, the city plans to hold a disaster prevention capability review meeting to check the status of the establishment of regional damage prediction maps and evacuation shelter maps, complete the stockpiling and maintenance of flood control materials, and prepare a perfect readiness posture against abnormal weather events such as heavy rainfall and typhoons.

Deputy Mayor Kim Nam-il stated, “We are fully committed to protecting citizens’ lives and property from unpredictable disasters caused by abnormal weather. We will continue safety drills and inspections with citizen safety as the top priority, focusing administrative efforts on proactive preparation and swift response to prevent any damage.”