Dongdaemun-gu Announces 'Climate Disaster Response Action Declaration'

"Protecting residents from the heatwave is our duty"

Climate disasters are issues of basic rights and survival for vulnerable groups... Resolute full-scale response

Additional cooling shelters, extended operating hours, strengthened patrols and care for vulnerable groups, expanded operation of water spraying trucks

Dongdaemun-gu Mayor Lee Pil-hyung (center) and Deputy Mayor Choi Hong-yeon, along with other executives, are reaffirming their commitment as they read the "Dongdaemun-gu Climate Disaster Response Action Declaration" during an emergency meeting to strengthen comprehensive heatwave countermeasures.

"We designate August as Dongdaemun-gu Climate Disaster Response Action Month and will strengthen our climate disaster response capabilities."

This is the content of the 'Dongdaemun-gu Climate Disaster Response Action Declaration.'

Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Lee Pil-hyung) recognizes heatwaves as climate disasters and convened an 'Emergency Meeting to Strengthen the 2023 Comprehensive Heatwave Countermeasures' on the 4th at the 5th-floor Planning Situation Room of the district office to review heatwave measures and discuss improvements and strengthening of measures for residents' safety.

Before the meeting, Mayor Lee and 44 related department staff read aloud the 'Dongdaemun-gu Climate Disaster Response Action Declaration,' pledging to protect residents' lives and property from the heatwave.

At this emergency meeting, the district designated the entire month of August as a 'Special Heatwave Preparedness Period,' simplified the response manual, and established a constant communication system with 14 community service centers to support residents in safely enduring the summer.

Through each community's Hope Welfare Committee, free vouchers for jjimjilbang (Korean sauna) and public baths will be selectively distributed. In addition to the currently operating 156 cooling shelters, 16 public facilities including the district office 1st-floor lobby, the residents' sports center, and Baebongsan Forest Library will be newly designated as cooling shelters.

During heatwave warnings, the operating hours of cooling shelters at community service centers on weekdays will be extended until 8 p.m. Each neighborhood chief will actively request cooperation from private facilities such as Saemaeul Geumgo (community credit cooperatives) to allow residents to use these cooling shelters without hesitation.

Patrols will be strengthened to guide homeless people and elderly vulnerable to heat to shelters. Visiting nurses and community leaders in each neighborhood will focus on checking on and managing the health of elderly living alone and those with mobility difficulties.

Measures to cool down the heat have also been prepared. Installation of cooling fog (mist sprayers) is under review along the Jungnangcheon Stream walking path, and to prevent urban heat island effects on roads, the water spraying operation, previously conducted three times a day, will be expanded to five times daily.

Deputy Mayor Choi Hong-yeon, who presided over the meeting, stated, "To prevent the unfortunate situation where people refrain from using air conditioners due to electricity costs, we will utilize disaster contingency funds to provide additional cooling cost support when necessary."

Mayor Lee Pil-hyung of Dongdaemun-gu said, "To protect residents from ever-changing disasters, it is important to repeatedly train with a concise disaster response manual. After this summer, we will hold an 'evaluation meeting' to thoroughly analyze shortcomings in the disaster response system and further strengthen the district's response capabilities."