Gwanak-gu, Fully Committed to Residents' Healthy and Safe Summer

From May 15 to October 15, Full-Scale Implementation of the 'Summer Comprehensive Measures'... Establishment of Key Measures in 5 Areas (Heatwave, Flood Control, Safety, Health, Alleviation of Daily Inconveniences)... Supporting Residents' Stability by Establishing a Proactive Response System for Summer Disasters and Safety Accidents

Due to the recent climate crisis, the frequency of abnormal weather events such as extreme heatwaves known worldwide as "killer heatwaves" and sudden heavy rains causing "great floods" is increasing globally. The inability to respond to unexpected situations has resulted in disaster-level damage, including loss of life and property in many areas.

Gwanak-gu (District Mayor Park Jun-hee) has launched an emergency response system to strongly prepare for the upcoming summer heatwaves and flood disasters, ensuring that all residents can have a healthy and safe summer.

The district has established a "2024 Summer Comprehensive Plan," focusing on five key areas closely related to residents' lives during summer (▲Heatwave ▲Flood Control ▲Safety ▲Health ▲Resolution of Daily Inconveniences), and will actively implement it for five months until October 15.

First, the district operates a 24-hour "Heatwave Countermeasure Comprehensive Situation Support Office" to monitor real-time heatwave information and promptly disseminate information during emergencies to prevent and respond to damage. Notably, this year, a "KakaoTalk Heatwave Comprehensive Support Situation Room" will be operated to enable even faster communication during crisis situations.

Customized protection measures will also be promoted for heatwave-vulnerable groups such as elderly living alone, children at risk of malnutrition, and homeless people who are more susceptible to heat-related illnesses and deaths.

The district plans to operate 137 local cooling shelters this year, including senior centers, welfare centers, and community service centers. In particular, since last year, local lodging facilities have been designated as "Safe Accommodations," and two additional locations will be added this year to further reduce welfare blind spots.

Childcare centers and youth welfare facilities will receive support for heating and cooling costs, and measures to protect children and adolescents will not be neglected, including inspections of areas densely populated with harmful businesses during summer vacations and school breaks to improve harmful environments for youth.

Additionally, the district plans to provide urban resting spots for residents by installing 54 additional smart shade shelters and benches near crosswalks and traffic islands with high pedestrian traffic this year.

To prepare for flood disasters, the district operates a "Flood Disaster Safety Countermeasure Headquarters" composed of 13 task forces under the head (district mayor), and has established flood control measures divided into six stages according to expected rainfall and weather conditions. Starting this year, an additional "Preliminary Reinforcement" stage has been added to establish a more thorough emergency response system.

Moreover, to reduce flood damage blind spots, the district promotes various cooperative projects utilizing private resources. Public officials and neighboring residents form "Flood Disaster Vulnerable Accompaniment Partners" who immediately disseminate information upon flood warnings and assist residents in prompt evacuation. The public-private joint "Starlight Naerimcheon River Patrol Team" directly monitors crisis situations such as isolation in rivers during heavy rains to prevent safety accidents.

Prioritizing residents' safety, the district also focuses on preventing various incidents and accidents. Comprehensive safety inspections are conducted across locations with high disaster risk and potential for major accidents during disasters, including ▲aging apartment complexes and construction sites as "Safety Vulnerable Facilities," ▲gas facilities, roads, parks as "Public Facilities," ▲traditional markets, shopping districts, performance venues as "Multi-use Facilities," and ▲agricultural, fishery, and livestock product handling businesses.

Health measures include strengthening quarantine activities to prevent infectious diseases during summer, conducting regular water quality inspections and safety management of ▲drinking water communal facilities (spring water sites), ▲swimming pools, and ▲water play areas to ensure residents can safely enjoy summer water activities. Especially from this year, the scope of participants in simulated food poisoning drills has been expanded to intensify food safety and hygiene efforts to prevent summer food poisoning.

Furthermore, the district plans to create a clean street environment to help residents enjoy a pleasant summer by timely waste collection through the civil complaint response team and enhanced hygiene inspections by on-site public restroom cleaning managers.

Park Jun-hee, Mayor of Gwanak-gu, stated, "We will do our best to protect residents' safety and create a pleasant living environment by meticulously implementing comprehensive summer measures in each sector. In particular, we will make every effort to reduce blind spots by utilizing various resources so that vulnerable groups do not suffer difficulties during disasters."