Yeonggwang-gun Designated and Declared as a 'Special Disaster Area'

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Jeon Seong] Yeonggwang-gun, Jeollanam-do (Governor Kim Jun-seong) is expected to gain momentum in flood damage recovery as it has been designated and proclaimed as a ‘Special Disaster Area’ by the President for rapid relief and restoration in the large-scale damaged region.

According to the county on the 13th, due to recent heavy rains, damage to public and private facilities totaled 209 cases amounting to 13.46 billion KRW. Facing financial difficulties in damage recovery, the county requested Jeollanam-do and the government to proclaim it as a ‘Special Disaster Area,’ which was confirmed on the same day.

The county, declared a special disaster area due to a large-scale disaster approximately 2.5 times the damage scale criteria for general areas, will now receive 50-80% of the local government’s share of recovery costs from the national treasury.

Additionally, it is expected to greatly assist residents facing hardships due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic through reduced financial burdens, rapid damage recovery, and discounts on six types of public utility fees including health insurance premiums, telecommunications, and electricity charges.

Governor Kim Jun-seong stated, “With the proclamation of the special disaster area, we will promptly request the Ministry of the Interior and Safety to carry out restoration and improvement projects at eight locations of local and small rivers that frequently suffer damage during heavy rains. We will continue to expand disaster prevention projects and do our best to restore damages for the residents affected by the heavy rains.”

Meanwhile, the county suffered massive damage beyond its own capacity to recover due to record-breaking rainfall averaging over 237mm, which caused washouts and damage at 47 locations including local and small rivers and roads, landslides at 30 forest facilities, and washouts, damage, and flooding at 33 agricultural infrastructure sites.

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