Yoon Byung-tae, Mayor of Naju, Orders Full Effort for On-Site Inspection of Heavy Rain Vulnerable Areas

On the afternoon of the 15th, Naju City in Jeollanam-do raised the emergency level of the Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters to Level 2 following the issuance of a heavy rain warning.

With the upgrade to Level 2, one staff member from each of the 20 departments of the Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, as well as the heads and two employees from each of the 20 eup, myeon, and dong offices, began emergency duty at their designated posts until the weather advisory is lifted.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, a heavy rain advisory was issued for the Naju area at 9 p.m. the previous day, followed by a heavy rain warning at 5:10 p.m. on the same day.

The average accumulated rainfall from the previous day until 5 p.m. recorded 46.6mm, with Munpyeong-myeon recording the highest at 72mm.

At 5 p.m. on the same day, Mayor Yoon Byeong-tae chaired an emergency countermeasure meeting at the Disaster and Safety Comprehensive Situation Room, ordering on-site inspections of disaster-vulnerable areas and prompt response measures to prevent casualties.

He specifically instructed that vulnerable areas prone to landslides and steep slopes at risk of collapse be inspected at least once daily for on-site surveillance and to maintain thorough preparedness.

Mayor Yoon emphasized, “Due to continuous rain, the ground has weakened, making the risk of landslides and steep slope collapses very high,” and added, “All available personnel and equipment must be swiftly mobilized in the event of disaster victims.”

He also urged strict on-site surveillance of large-scale permitted projects such as mountain area development, construction activities, and land formation.

After the meeting, Mayor Yoon visited the construction site of the Hoejin District Jeonwon Village development project to conduct focused inspections of drainage channels, sedimentation basins, slopes, and cut slopes.

He reiterated, “Please thoroughly conduct on-site surveillance to detect any abnormal signs such as tree uprooting or soil runoff in steep slope and landslide risk areas,” and stressed, “In cases where disaster occurrence is anticipated, residents must be proactively and promptly evacuated to prevent casualties, even if forced.”

Naju = Kim Yuk-bong, Honam Reporting Headquarters, Asia Economy bless4ya@asiae.co.kr