Gyeongsangnam-do Implements Practical Measures for Housing and Livelihood Recovery after Extreme Heavy Rainfall

Gyeongsangnam-do has begun efforts to restore housing and livelihoods for residents affected by the extreme heavy rainfall.

On the morning of July 24, the Gyeongsangnam-do government held the "Third Countermeasure Meeting for Heavy Rain Disaster Recovery" at the Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, focusing on practical solutions.

Each department reported on the current status of damages and recovery plans. Through a Q&A session, interdepartmental cooperation measures and on-site difficulties were also shared.

Gyeongsangnam-do Governor Park Wansu is leading the '3rd Countermeasure Meeting for Flood Damage Disaster Recovery.' Provided by Gyeongsangnam-do

Governor Park Wansoo emphasized, "We must first clearly organize the housing plans for residents whose homes have been damaged," and added, "Instead of simply considering motels or box-type housing facilities, we must prepare alternatives that accurately reflect the residents' intentions."

He continued, "True recovery is only possible when the village regains its full function. While farmland is important, we must quickly restore areas where houses have collapsed and concentrate equipment and manpower there."

He also instructed, "Immediately conduct on-site inspections of risk areas such as soil and stone extraction sites near landslide-affected regions together with experts."

He further ordered, "Actively propose to the Ministry of Environment that major rivers such as the Deokcheon River and Gyeongho River be designated as national rivers." He also called for the swift implementation of river maintenance tasks, including national river designation, embankment reinforcement, and riverbed dredging.

Additionally, he said, "Thoroughly manage the health of public officials and volunteers involved in recovery work to prevent heat-related illnesses during the heatwave."

He reiterated the five basic rules for preventing heatwave disasters in summer: ▲providing sufficient water ▲ensuring wind and shade ▲resting for at least 20 minutes every two hours ▲providing cold storage equipment ▲establishing an emergency response system.

The Gyeongnam Provincial Government Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters held the "3rd Countermeasure Meeting for Flood Damage Disaster Recovery." Provided by Gyeongnam Province

As of July 24, Gyeongsangnam-do announced that 710 people from 473 households were still staying in temporary shelters.

The province is also reviewing plans to transition these residents to public rental housing and private facilities.

In particular, for Sancheong, Hapcheon, and Uiryeong, which suffered severe damage from the heavy rainfall, an additional 96 million KRW will be allocated for disaster relief supplies and volunteer support.

For 700 households in areas with water outages, 24 water trucks have been deployed to provide emergency water supply. Of the 1,176 damaged public facilities, emergency restoration has been completed at 581 sites, and recovery efforts continue for the remaining locations.

The damage assessment, including input into the National Disaster Management System (NDMS), is scheduled to be completed by July 30.