Pohang City, Thorough Preparation... Proactive Response to Heavy Rain! Protecting Citizens' Safety

Emergency Meeting for Heavy Rain and Monsoon Preparedness

Establishing Response Plans Prioritizing Citizen Safety

On the 23rd, Pohang City held a 'Heavy Rain Countermeasure Meeting' at the Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Situation Room to review disaster response readiness.

On the 23rd, Pohang City held a "Countermeasure Meeting for Heavy Rain Preparedness" chaired by Vice Mayor Kim Nam-il at the Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters situation room to review disaster response readiness.

The meeting was convened proactively in response to weather analysis predicting heavy rainfall due to a stationary front moving northward over the southern sea near Jeju Island on the 26th and 27th.

The Korea Meteorological Administration forecasts that this summer, influenced by the 'El Ni?o' phenomenon, a large amount of water vapor will flow in from the south, resulting in heavy rainfall mainly in the southern regions, with precipitation from July to September expected to exceed average levels.

The meeting, chaired by Vice Mayor Kim Nam-il, was attended by related department heads and 13 collaborative departments. Relevant agencies including the police station, fire station, 1st Marine Division, Korea Electric Power Corporation Pohang Branch, Korea Rural Community Corporation, Pohang Steel Industrial Complex Management Corporation, Korea Gas Safety Corporation Gyeongbuk Eastern Branch, and POSCO also participated.

The participating collaborative departments and related agencies agreed to closely share the situation, discuss sector-specific responses, complete preemptive measures, and make every effort to prevent any damage.

Additionally, all 29 heads of towns, townships, and neighborhoods attended the meeting via video conference to share real-time weather updates and agreed to implement preventive measures for citizen safety, such as drainage maintenance and preemptive actions in flood-prone areas.

The city is proactively identifying areas at risk of human casualties, strengthening patrol activities and safety inspections, and has established pre-control standards, resident evacuation guidance, and rapid evacuation plans to prevent loss of life.

To ensure swift application during actual disaster situations, practical response drills for extreme rainfall were conducted on the 9th, followed by resident evacuation drills by towns, townships, and neighborhoods on the 20th and 21st. Additional drills are planned for July to institutionalize local resident evacuation systems.

Mayor Lee Kang-deok, despite being absent, received reports on the weather situation and preparedness status, and instructed thorough preparation and close countermeasures to ensure citizen safety.

The mayor stated, “It is very important to proactively respond by anticipating weather conditions such as typhoons and monsoons to reduce disaster damage. We will do our utmost to promptly implement necessary measures in the right places according to weather changes to protect the lives and property of our citizens.”

The city has also taken the lead in preventing heatwave damage by forming a 'Heatwave Response TF Team,' operating cooling shelters, installing heat reduction facilities (such as shade structures), implementing scheduled heat rest times, focusing on managing vulnerable groups, and operating a heat-related illness surveillance system.