Gapyeong County and KEPCO Achieve Early Power Restoration through Close Cooperation
Swift Response during Floods... All 100 Campers Safely Evacuated
Gapyeong County Provides Comprehensive Support after Special Disaster Area Designation
Gapyeong County in Gyeonggi Province announced on August 6 that it recently achieved a 100% power restoration rate just 11 days after the outage caused by heavy rainfall, through close cooperation with Korea Electric Power Corporation.
Gapyeong County recently achieved a 100% power restoration rate 11 days after the outage through close cooperation with Korea Electric Power Corporation. Seo Taewon, the governor of Gapyeong County, is inspecting the affected areas. Provided by Gapyeong County.
On July 20, torrential rains damaged 205 utility poles and caused power outages in 4,140 households, resulting in large-scale power disruption in Gapyeong County. Initially, the restoration of roads was delayed due to fallen utility poles, which also slowed down the recovery work by KEPCO, leading to significant confusion at the site.
The county unified all restoration requests through the Small Business Support Division and established a dedicated "hotline" with the Gapyeong branch of Korea Electric Power Corporation, thereby launching a full-scale cooperation system.
The county promptly implemented several measures, including: preemptive restoration of damaged road sections in power outage areas; real-time sharing of on-site road recovery status; support for securing storage yards for KEPCO materials; coordination of schedules for overlapping construction projects such as water supply; and identifying and sharing information on households without power through interviews with village heads.
As a result of this collaboration, the county achieved a 100% power restoration rate just 11 days after the outage.
KEPCO, in particular, played a major role in the swift recovery by actively deploying equipment and personnel to the site with a strong sense of responsibility. The company maintained close on-site cooperation with the county to ensure that road restoration and utility pole installation could proceed simultaneously, thereby accelerating the recovery process.
Seo Taewon, Governor of Gapyeong County, stated, "Early restoration was possible thanks to the responsible cooperation of Korea Electric Power Corporation," and added, "We will continue to strengthen disaster response systems in collaboration with relevant agencies."
In the early morning of July 20, a major human casualty was prevented in the Hacheon-ri area of Cheongpyeong-myeon thanks to the prompt response of Gapyeong County officials and the volunteer crime prevention squad. Photo by Gapyeong County
All 100 Campers Safely Evacuated
In the early morning of July 20, a major casualty was prevented in the Hacheonri area of Cheongpyeong-myeon thanks to the prompt response of public officials and the volunteer patrol team.
At 2:20 a.m., as the river level rose rapidly and a flood warning was issued, Deputy Township Chief Lee Gyohak, Officer Yoon Kyungeop, and volunteer patrol members Kim Yongun and Eom Giho immediately rushed to the site and evacuated about 100 campers.
By repeatedly sounding sirens and broadcasting evacuation announcements more than ten times, and persistently encouraging evacuation on-site, they ensured that there were no casualties even though the campsite was completely flooded about an hour later.
Donations Continue from All Sectors
Efforts to help affected residents continue from various sectors.
Wonbo Co., Ltd. CEO Ryu Gilmun is donating 20 million won to Seo Taewon, Gapyong County Governor. Provided by Gapyong County
On August 4, Ryu Gilmun, CEO of Wonbo Co., Ltd., visited Gapyeong County Office and donated 20 million won to help residents affected by the heavy rainfall.
The Namyangju Branch of the Uijeongbu District Prosecutors' Office and the Gyeonggi Eastern Crime Victim Support Center recently visited the county office and donated 5 million won for flood victims. The Uijeongbu Regional Youth Crime Prevention Committee also contributed 3 million won.
Governor Seo Taewon said, "The warm support and concern are providing great strength for the recovery of affected residents," and added, "All donations will be used carefully for recovery and livelihood support."
Designation as Special Disaster Area... Tax Relief Measures Implemented
Since Gapyeong County was designated as a special disaster area on July 22, the county is promoting local tax reductions and collection deferrals for affected residents.
The deceased and their bereaved families are exempt from local taxes and inheritance acquisition taxes imposed this year. The county has also submitted a proposal to the county council to exempt local taxes on damaged property (real estate, vehicles, etc.).
Additionally, the county will provide extensions of acquisition tax filing and payment deadlines, property tax collection deferrals, and postponement of delinquent disposition for up to two years. If destroyed or damaged property is replaced within two years, acquisition and registration license taxes will be exempted.
Furthermore, the county plans to actively implement various tax support measures, such as exempting acquisition and registration license taxes for buildings, ships, vehicles, machinery, and equipment destroyed or damaged by heavy rainfall, if they are replaced within two years.
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