Heavy Rain Crisis Alert Level Raised from "Caution" to "Warning"
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety elevated the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) from Level 1 to Level 2 at 4:00 a.m. on July 17, as heavy rainfall led to the issuance of heavy rain warnings, particularly in the Chungcheong region and southern Gyeonggi Province. The heavy rain crisis alert level was also raised from "Caution" to "Warning."
On the early morning of the 17th, heavy rain centered on the west coast of Chungnam caused flooding at Osasamgeori in Seongyeon-myeon, Seosan City, Chungnam. Photo provided by a reader. Yonhap News
The CDSCH urged residents in areas experiencing concentrated rainfall, such as Seosan, Dangjin, and Taean in Chungnam, to refrain from going outside during the early morning hours and to avoid dangerous areas, using disaster alert messages and other channels to communicate these warnings.
The CDSCH also emphasized that the prevention of casualties is the top priority, instructing local governments, police, fire departments, and other relevant agencies to take preemptive safety measures, such as implementing controls and evacuating residents, in close cooperation whenever signs of danger such as river flooding are detected.
According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the accumulated rainfall from midnight on July 16 to 5:00 a.m. on July 17 was 419.5 mm in Seosan, 307.0 mm in Taean, 305.0 mm in Seocheon, 264.5 mm in Dangjin, and 249.6 mm in Hongseong.
The Korea Meteorological Administration forecast that southern Gyeonggi Province would see very heavy rainfall of 50 to 80 mm per hour until the morning of July 18, while Chungnam, Chungbuk, and surrounding areas would experience similar rainfall until the afternoon of July 18. In other regions, strong rainfall of around 30 mm per hour was also expected around July 18.
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