Gwangjin-gu Launches Disaster Safety Countermeasures Headquarters in Full Swing to Prepare for Summer Flood and Wind Damage

Held Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Opening Ceremony on the 15th, Operating Until October 15... Thorough Flood and Wind Disaster Preparedness Through Preliminary Inspection of Flood Control Measures and SNS Simulation Training... From This Year, Flood and Wind Disaster Insurance Support Expanded to Include Small Business Operators' Shops and Factories

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gwangjin-gu (District Mayor Kim Seon-gap) opened a Disaster Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on the first floor of the Safety Management Building at the district office on the 15th to prepare for summer flood and wind disasters, and began operations until October 15.

The Disaster Safety Countermeasures Headquarters is composed of 13 practical teams including overall situation management, traffic measures, search and rescue, and first aid, with the district mayor as the head. When weather alerts such as heavy rain, strong wind, or typhoon warnings are issued, the number of staff on duty is adjusted step-by-step, and emergency duty is initiated.

Earlier, from January to April, the district formed an inspection team to focus on flood control facilities and vulnerable areas.

The inspection targets included 14 ultrasonic water level gauges installed in main road sewer pipes to predict flooding in advance, and 47 flood control facilities such as rainwater pumping stations, retention basins, and sluice gates.

Additionally, 45 facilities vulnerable to flood and wind disasters, including 2.5 km of underground sewer pipes, large construction sites, landslide-prone areas, and underground facilities, were also inspected. As a result of the inspection, minor issues were immediately addressed on-site, and in cases requiring maintenance such as equipment malfunctions, repairs were completed by requesting emergency restoration companies.

On April 28, a “Yukgapmun Gate Opening and Closing Field Training” was conducted in front of the Noyu Interchange located at 73 Jayang-dong to raise citizens' disaster prevention awareness. This training was attended by personnel from the Disaster Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, local autonomous disaster prevention groups, safety monitoring teams, honorary sluice gate managers, and residents. It was conducted by simulating a situation where the discharge from Paldang Dam increases during a typhoon, causing the Han River water level to rise. Yukgapmun is installed at the interchange to prevent Han River water from flowing into the reclaimed land (the area inside the embankment facing the river). In an emergency, closing the gate can prevent damage caused by backflow of external water.

Also, on May 13, an SNS simulation training was conducted for each practical team of the Disaster Safety Countermeasures Headquarters. This training assumed disaster situations caused by heavy rain and typhoons and was conducted by reporting situation responses of each team via SNS. The SNS simulation training will continue to be conducted to strengthen the disaster response capabilities of each practical team of the Disaster Safety Countermeasures Headquarters.

The district also promotes activities to prevent resident damage caused by flood and wind disasters. Care officials totaling 104 are assigned to 65 households in flood-prone areas, and to maintain a rapid response system in case of sudden heavy rain or other situations, information is mutually shared through the “Care Officials Naver Band.”

In addition, 1,697 rainwater inlet managers are designated across 15 neighborhoods to inspect the condition of rainwater inlets and conduct focused inspections and maintenance of flood-prone areas during heavy rain.

Furthermore, the district operates flood and wind disaster insurance in preparation for cases where residents suffer property damage due to such disasters. Especially from this year, the coverage has been expanded from the existing eligible subscribers?owners and tenants of houses (detached and multi-family) and greenhouses (agriculture and forestry)?to include small business owners operating stores and factories, with applications accepted at any time.

When subscribing to the insurance, support ranges from a minimum of 52.5% to a maximum of 92% of the total premium depending on the region and area. In case of damage caused by flood and wind disasters, houses and greenhouses are compensated either by fixed amount or actual loss depending on the subscription type, while small business stores and factories are compensated for actual losses within limits of 100 million KRW for stores, 150 million KRW for factories, and 50 million KRW for inventory assets.

District Mayor Kim Seon-gap said, “Our district will systematically prepare for flood and wind disasters by establishing thorough situation monitoring and a rapid response system centered on the Disaster Safety Countermeasures Headquarters.” He added, “We will do our best by mobilizing all the district’s capabilities to ensure residents’ safety and help them spend a safe summer free from COVID-19 and flood and wind disasters.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.