22 Cases of Drainage Assistance and 28 Facility Safety Measures
On the afternoon of May 16 in Seoul, unexpected heavy rainfall led to the closure of 25 major streams in the city, including Cheonggyecheon and Anyangcheon, as a precaution against flooding.
According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, as of 8:00 p.m. that day, the streams under restriction were Jungnangcheon, Anyangcheon, Mokgamcheon, Uicheon, Mukdongcheon, Banghakcheon, Dobongcheon, Gupabalcheon, Danghyeoncheon, Seongbukcheon, Jeongneungcheon, Hongjecheon, Hyangdongcheon, Bulgwangcheon, Yangjaecheon, Tancheon, Saegokcheon, Banpocheon, Seongnaechon, Gami Stream, Godeokcheon, Dorimcheon, Cheonggyecheon, Yeokgokcheon, and Jangjicheon.
According to the city, the heavy rain resulted in 22 cases of drainage assistance and 28 cases of facility safety measures on the same day.
At around 4:00 to 5:00 p.m., the Seoul Metropolitan Government issued a "Situation Duty Level 1 (Caution)" for the northeastern, northwestern, and southwestern regions simultaneously with the issuance of a heavy rain advisory. When the advisory was lifted at 8:00 p.m., the city switched to a reinforced duty system.
Rainwater pumping stations were temporarily operating at 25 locations, but as of 8:00 p.m., only 9 stations remained in operation.
The city plans to continue monitoring weather conditions and water levels in the streams to respond accordingly.
Districts such as Yongsan-gu and Yeongdeungpo-gu issued disaster text alerts, advising residents to avoid low-lying areas and streams, and not to enter underpasses that may be at risk of flooding.
The heavy rainfall also caused congestion during the evening commute. According to the Seoul Transport Operation and Information Service (TOPIS), as of 6:00 p.m., the average speed in downtown Seoul was 8.2 km/h, while the average speed for the entire city was 13.9 km/h.
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