The Jeonnam Regional Headquarters of the Korea Rural Community Corporation (Director Jo Young-ho) announced on the 24th that it will switch the Jeonnam Headquarters Disaster Safety Situation Room to a typhoon preparedness response posture, as significant damage is expected when a typhoon approaches during the rainy season, when the ground has weakened due to heavy rainfall.
Jeonnam Headquarters employees are inspecting the infiltration area while measuring the slope at Doam Reservoir in Hwasun. [Photo by Nong-eochon Gong Jeonnam]
Since April, the Jeonnam Headquarters has conducted emergency response drills and intensive safety inspections for disaster preparedness. Additionally, since the rainy season began on the 21st of last month, it has operated a permanent disaster safety situation room to maintain inspection and preparedness systems for immediate response in case of emergencies.
During the rainy season, the average rainfall in the Gwangju and Jeonnam areas was 419 mm, with some places experiencing extreme downpours exceeding 90 mm per hour. However, due to thorough prior preparations and swift situation management, no damage occurred to major facilities.
In response to the approaching typhoon, the Jeonnam Headquarters plans to do its utmost in typhoon preparedness by inspecting key facilities such as reservoir embankments for slope erosion, subsidence, leakage, and restricted water levels, due to concerns about weakened ground and facility damage caused by continuous heavy rain.
Jo Young-ho, Director of the Jeonnam Regional Headquarters, stated, “Even if the direct impact of the typhoon is unlikely, thorough preparation is necessary for abnormal climate phenomena such as heatwaves and heavy rain, as seen in this rainy season with frequent extreme rainfall.” He added, “We will meticulously re-inspect facilities exposed to heavy rain and maintain an emergency response posture without lowering our guard until the situation is resolved.”
Kim Yuk-bong, Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, baekok@asiae.co.kr
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