Seoul City to Implement 'Comprehensive Flood and Wind Disaster Measures' Until October... Response Headquarters Operating 24 Hours

Emergency damage recovery enabled during heavy rain advisory stages... 3 additional teams formed, increasing from 4 to 7 teams
Expansion of flood isolation accident prevention facilities... Full control of 27 rivers implemented from preliminary heavy rain warnings

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] As the frequency and scale of flood and wind damage are expected to increase due to climate change, the Seoul Metropolitan Government is preparing and implementing a detailed comprehensive flood and wind disaster countermeasure plan tailored to the characteristics of each sector.

On the 14th, Seoul announced that from the 15th to October 15th, a five-month Disaster Safety Countermeasures Headquarters will be activated to maintain a 24-hour situation management system, establish a summer flood control system, and respond efficiently to disaster situations. Earlier, Mayor Oh Se-hoon of Seoul plans to receive reports on sector-specific measures and review them thoroughly at the flood and wind disaster countermeasure briefing session held on the afternoon of the 14th.

Starting this year, to prevent flood and wind disaster accidents likely to occur due to sudden heavy rain and concentrated downpours and to minimize inconveniences directly affecting citizens' lives, full efforts will be made in seven areas. The seven major strategies are improving the flood and wind disaster safety system, pre-control of rivers, on-site inspections, strengthening management of flood-prone areas, integrating smart technology, rapid disaster recovery, and public relations.

First, when rain is forecasted, Seoul quickly issues emergency duty orders to 25 autonomous districts by analyzing four types of comprehensive information according to the emergency duty order. In urgent situations, situation assessment meetings are held using social network service (SNS) chat rooms. Also, as localized heavy rain has frequently occurred recently, local weather information is separately detected to issue emergency orders and raise alert levels suitable for each district.

This year, the operation standards of the flood and wind disaster safety countermeasures headquarters have been strengthened compared to last year. During the first stage of emergency duty triggered by a heavy rain advisory, previously only the Situation Control Team, Traffic Countermeasure Team, Rescue and First Aid Team, and Disaster Public Relations Team were operated. However, since damages such as traffic facility and tree fall occur even during the first stage, additional teams for facility restoration, energy restoration, and environmental maintenance that can perform continuous recovery will be added for thorough preparation.

To prevent river isolation accidents that occur annually, starting this year, even if the river water level does not rise, the river will be immediately controlled once a heavy rain warning is issued to secure evacuation time for citizens. To quickly evacuate citizens using rivers, the river patrol team, which was piloted on three rivers last year, will be expanded to 27 rivers. It will be organized with about 500 members, adding police officers, staff, and voluntary disaster prevention groups to the existing patrol team. From this year, for citizens who refuse to evacuate, forced evacuation measures will be taken jointly with the police.

Additionally, protection measures for vulnerable groups who find rapid evacuation difficult will be strengthened. For elderly residents living within 300 meters of rivers who frequently use the rivers but have mobility difficulties and cannot evacuate quickly in dangerous situations, warning text messages prohibiting river use during rainfall will be sent to prevent accidents.

Seoul has already completed a joint inspection with autonomous districts on the management status and operational conditions of major disaster prevention facilities, including 120 rainwater pumping stations and 321 sluice gates. For 30 major construction sites vulnerable to flooding, joint inspections were conducted with experts from Seoul, autonomous districts, water resources, and water and sewage structural engineers to supplement deficiencies and confirm the installation of safety facilities. On-site visits were made to check the normal operation of 3,250 pumps stored in 25 autonomous districts and 6 road business offices, as well as emergency contact networks and management ledgers, to enable immediate response if necessary.

Furthermore, this year, flood prevention facilities will be additionally installed in about 6,900 households to minimize flood damage. Seoul has conducted inspections and maintenance on already installed flood prevention facilities, checking and servicing about 86,000 households by May. A care official system is operated, matching flood-vulnerable households with public officials one-on-one for focused management. Care officials directly call and visit during heavy rain to check for flood damage and support the entire process from disaster to restoration.

The flood and wind disaster countermeasure system has also enhanced preemptive response capabilities by integrating new technologies such as Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Big Data. Seoul supplements and operates its self-developed flood control management system and expands the installation of rain gauges to quickly identify regional disparities and respond to localized heavy rain. Additionally, road water gauges have been installed in 18 flood-prone areas (Gangnam, Seocho, Mapo, Dongjak, Eunpyeong) to measure rainwater accumulated in sewage pipes and roads in real time, enabling rapid identification of flooded areas and serving as basic data for cause analysis in case of flood damage.

Meanwhile, a plan has been established to respond through a public-private-military cooperation system. Seoul has formed a 'Field Recovery Support Team' (114 departments, 2,271 personnel) matching one-to-one with autonomous districts and department heads to support flood recovery, and established a disaster site recovery support system centered on 20 private organizations (300 personnel).

Moreover, when a second stage or higher alert (heavy rain warning or above) is issued, about 11,600 military personnel will be concentrated in affected areas to support recovery. Seoul is divided into 10 zones, and 58 large construction companies are designated one-to-one to deploy equipment (418 units) and manpower (440 personnel) for damage recovery. Temporary housing facilities for disaster victims are designated at 1,073 locations including schools, senior centers, and government offices, with 900 indoor relief tents and 4,831 relief supplies stocked to actively respond to disaster victims.

Since citizen interest and active participation are essential, Seoul strengthens disaster safety publicity and disseminates citizen action guidelines using video advertising boards in public transportation such as subways, Seoul buses, and high-speed trains.

Mayor Oh Se-hoon emphasized, "There is a saying that excess is as bad as deficiency, but in the field of safety, excess can actually be beneficial. As with everything, damage cannot be prevented by responding well in only one area, so I ask that Seoul, related organizations, and citizens all cooperate together."

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