120 Billion Won Damage, Jeonnam Gurye Declared a 'Special Disaster Area'

President Moon Declares Special Disaster Zone on 13th After Saying on 12th "Special Disaster Area Just by Sight"

Estimated Damage 126.8 Billion Won as of 11 PM on 12th, Endless Situation Even After Garbage Removal

Emergency Water Supply Restoration and Quarantine Measures Planned... 2,000 Civilians, Officials, and Military Deployed Daily

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yuk Miseok] On the 13th, Gurye-gun in Jeonnam, which suffered flood damage worth 120 billion won, was declared a special disaster area.

On the 12th, President Moon Jae-in, who visited the Gurye 5-day Market and other locations, said, "It is a subject for declaration as a special disaster area just by looking at it," promising prompt administrative and financial support. On the 13th, President Moon declared 11 local governments, including Gurye, as special disaster areas.

According to Gurye-gun on the 13th, due to the heavy rain, 1,184 households, accounting for 10% of the total 13,000 households, suffered flood damage, 1,318 people became disaster victims, and the total damage is estimated at 126.8 billion won.

Farmland of 421 hectares was submerged, and 3,650 livestock were damaged. Rescued livestock continue to die. 157 commercial buildings were flooded, with the minimum damage per store estimated at an average of 30 million won.

Since the flood damage occurred, an average of 2,000 personnel per day have been deployed for recovery work in Gurye-gun, but due to the large scale of damage, the recovery rate of private facilities is less than 10%.

Volunteers, 1,400 administrative, firefighting, and police officials, and 600 military personnel are cleaning up garbage mainly around the Gurye-eup 5-day Market and Yangjeong Village, where the damage is severe, but manpower is insufficient given the enormous scale of damage.

County Governor Kim Sun-ho stated, "Even though we take out items stuck in water from buildings and clean up garbage, it feels endless."

He added, "Many volunteers and military personnel are helping with the recovery, but due to the large scale of damage, most households have not been able to start recovery," expressing his regret and saying, "We will strive to ensure that all flood victims receive assistance in turn."

The Gurye water intake facility was urgently restored, and as of the afternoon of the 13th, the water supply rate is 80%. However, a large amount of water is being used for cleaning flooded areas, causing water outages in some regions. The water in Gurye-eup is highly turbid and is only usable for domestic purposes, not for drinking.

There is also an emergency in quarantine. Flooded areas have a high risk of waterborne and foodborne infectious diseases such as typhoid fever. Gurye-gun Health and Medical Center, 11 local health centers, and military units are conducting quarantine in vulnerable areas. To prevent COVID-19, evacuees entering shelters undergo temperature checks and are provided with hand sanitizers and masks.

Sixty-seven public facilities, including water and sewage offices and comprehensive social welfare centers, were submerged and lost functionality. Gurye-gun is conducting emergency restoration of roads and embankments by mobilizing 140 heavy equipment units daily.

County Governor Kim Sun-ho appealed, "The designation as a special disaster area has eased the recovery work, but there is still a long way to go," and asked for the active participation of volunteers and military personnel.

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