Gyeonggi Province has established a new "emergency preparedness" stage in the Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters' emergency activation protocol to prepare for heavy rainfall and typhoons expected this summer. The province will also build a disaster monitoring system utilizing the Gyeonggi 360-Degree Smart Video Center. In addition, a new "regional stockpile warehouse" for storing essential supplies needed during large-scale disasters will be opened in the northern part of Gyeonggi Province.
On May 14, Gyeonggi Province announced that it has developed the "2025 Comprehensive Summer Storm and Flood Countermeasures" and will implement them from May 15 to October 15.
To proactively respond to weather variability and sudden weather events caused by abnormal climate conditions, Gyeonggi Province has added an "emergency preparedness" work stage to this year's comprehensive plan. This measure is intended to ensure readiness in cases where the Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters' emergency stages cannot be activated due to unexpected heavy rainfall or other weather anomalies.
Additionally, considering the increase in "priority evacuation targets" due to the aging and undergrounding of urban infrastructure and the aging population, the province will dispatch support personnel directly from city and county main offices to towns, townships, and neighborhoods from the first stage of emergency. These personnel will be responsible for inspecting and monitoring hazardous facilities, controlling access to dangerous sites, and assisting with the evacuation of priority individuals.
Gyeonggi Province will also implement comprehensive monitoring at a regional level by integrating 170,000 city and county closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras through the "Gyeonggi 360-Degree Smart Video Center" and linking them with disaster management facilities. To achieve this, the province plans to connect 851 Internet of Things (IoT) disaster detection sensors and 121 information and communication technology (ICT) underground road blocking facilities, categorizing disaster-prone areas and vulnerable facilities by type.
Furthermore, in addition to the existing warehouse in Icheon, a new "regional stockpile warehouse" will be established in the northern region to store essential supplies needed during large-scale disasters.
To ensure that evacuees can quickly access necessary items during a disaster, the province will distribute 2,000 "Safe Day Kits," each containing seven daily necessities such as toothbrushes and toothpaste, to each city and county.
In addition, evacuation plans for residents in the three main categories of casualties?rivers, landslides, and semi-basement dwellings?will be developed, and joint drills involving both the public and private sectors will be conducted. The province also plans to strengthen public awareness campaigns on citizen action guidelines using various media, including G-Bus TV and apartment elevator media boards.
To boost the morale of the voluntary disaster prevention teams engaged in disaster recovery activities, the province will produce and distribute "Outstanding Activity Certification Badges" and has increased the budget for mobilization activity allowances to 930 million won, up by 300 million won from last year.
Since February, Gyeonggi Province has been implementing the "Climate Crisis Response Strategic Project," investing 62.54 billion won in 13 initiatives, including river dredging, installation of riverbank barriers, and the installation of alarm devices for landslides and steep slopes.
Kim Dongyeon, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, stated, "During last year's storm and flood season, Gyeonggi Province experienced various damages, including Paju City being declared a special disaster area, but fortunately, there were no casualties among residents. This year as well, we will do our utmost to ensure that not a single resident is harmed by storm and flood disasters by preparing for the risks posed by climate variability and severe weather events."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
