All-Out Efforts for Heavy Rain and Typhoon... Seongdong-gu Completes Full Inspection of Flood Prevention Facilities for Semi-Basement Households

Establishment of a Special Task Force (TF) for Rapid Collaboration, Inspection of Flood Barriers in 2,618 Households and Operable Security Windows in 216 Households... Expansion of Road Water Level Gauges from 2 to 8 Units, Real-Time Monitoring with 157 CCTV Cameras Concentrated at 60 Locations... Care Teams for Disaster-Vulnerable Households, Operation of Day and Night Disaster Safety Situation Rooms, Distribution of Disinfection Supply Kits to Establish Flood Prevention and Evacuation Systems

Water Barrier Inspection

Seongdong-gu, Seoul (Mayor Jung Won-oh) announced that it has established a flood prevention, response, and evacuation system based on resident cooperation to minimize damage caused by heavy rainfall.

First, in May, the district formed a special task force (TF) led by the deputy mayor. Based on a rapid collaboration system among nine departments, it is making every effort to prepare for heavy rain.

To prevent flooding, a full inspection of flood prevention facilities was completed for 2,834 semi-basement households. Measures such as reinstallation, securing escape routes, and checking for abnormalities were completed for water barriers in 2,618 households and operable security windows in 216 households.

The district continues to accept applications from households requiring installations and actively supports installation by persuading landlords when necessary.

For flood response, a concentrated monitoring system with 157 unmanned cameras (CCTV) was established at 60 locations to monitor vulnerable areas such as riversides, underground passages, and slopes in real time. The number of road water level gauges is being expanded from 2 to 8, and scientific flood prediction is being strengthened. Flood warnings are issued when rainfall exceeds 30mm in 15 minutes or when road flooding depth exceeds 15cm based on the road water level gauges.

The flood evacuation system is also being expanded and reorganized. To avoid missing the golden time during flooding, a disaster-vulnerable household care team consisting of 78 people, including neighborhood leaders familiar with local conditions, nearby residents, and public officials, was newly formed to strengthen the flood evacuation system. The care team supports initial flood evacuation for 65 semi-basement households that have difficulty evacuating on their own, including those accompanied by Seoul City partners, near disaster-vulnerable households.

When a flood warning is issued, the care team will assist evacuation as needed and distribute relief supplies at designated evacuation sites such as community service centers or the district office auditorium.

In addition, a 24-hour readiness system has been established for flood damage recovery. During the day, the Seongdong-gu Flood and Disaster Safety Countermeasures Headquarters operates, and at night, the Seongdong-gu Office Disaster Safety Situation Room is in operation.

For the safety and health of semi-basement residents, thorough disinfection and pest control are being conducted. To prevent pest damage caused by high temperatures and humidity in summer, insecticide spraying around residences and larvicide treatment in septic tanks are performed, and pest control kits are provided to a total of 500 semi-basement households.

Mayor Jung Won-oh of Seongdong-gu said, “Protecting residents’ safety is the most important responsibility of local governments, and we will do our best to create a city safe from climate disasters such as heavy rainfall.” He also stated, “To prepare for ongoing climate change, it is necessary to enact the Risk Shelter Act or amend related laws such as the Disaster Safety Act so that local governments have the authority and obligation to install and supervise flood prevention facilities necessary for residents’ housing safety.”