Protecting Residents in the Heatwave!... Nowon-gu Starts Heatwave Measures Including Operation of 'Nighttime Heat Relief Shelters'

Full-scale Operation of 4 Resident-Centered Heatwave Measures... Designation and Operation of Cooling Centers... 50 Hotel Rooms Used as Night Shelters for Seniors During Heatwave Alerts, 30 General Shelters and 22 Extended Shelters Operated... Outdoor Cooling Centers with Healing Refrigerators... 18 Locations Including Walking Trails, Riverside Areas, and Temporary Screening Clinics Established

Healing Refrigerator

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) is launching a community-based heatwave countermeasure to ensure residents have a safe and healthy summer.

With an earlier-than-usual heatwave currently intensifying, concerns are growing that prolonged heatwaves combined with the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic could cause significant damage.

Accordingly, the district has prepared the "Nowon-type Comprehensive Heatwave Countermeasure" to actively protect residents by preventing various disasters and safety accidents caused by summer heat.

The 2021 Nowon-type heatwave countermeasures will be implemented across four main areas: ▲ Operation of general and nighttime heatwave shelters ▲ Operation of outdoor heatwave shelter healing refrigerators ▲ Protection measures for heatwave-vulnerable groups ▲ Convenience measures for residents.

Designation and Operation of General and Nighttime Heatwave Shelters

Heatwave shelters are considered a representative heatwave countermeasure for vulnerable elderly groups.

First, low-income and elderly living alone, who are most vulnerable to heat, can spend comfortable nights at nighttime heatwave shelters set up in hotels. When a heatwave warning is issued, 50 hotel rooms contracted by the district are designated and operated as nighttime safe accommodations. If hotel capacity is exceeded, additional shelters will be arranged in the large auditorium on the second floor of the district office.

General shelters are open to all residents and operate at 30 locations, including 19 community service centers and 11 welfare centers within the district. Once social distancing measures are eased and senior centers resume normal operations, additional shelters will be designated and operated.

Extended shelters will also operate during heatwave warnings. These utilize 19 community service centers and 3 welfare centers. On weekdays, extended hours run until 9 p.m., while on weekends and holidays, community service centers are open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and welfare centers from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Operation of Outdoor Heatwave Shelter Healing Refrigerators

Alongside heatwave shelters, the operation of healing refrigerators is attracting attention. Refrigerators are installed at outdoor heatwave shelters such as walking trails and riversides to provide residents with cool bottled water. Since sudden body temperature rises can lead to heat-related illnesses outdoors, refrigerators are placed in easily accessible locations for everyone.

Refrigerators are installed at 15 locations, including Bulamsan Butterfly Garden, Bulbit Garden, Yeongchuksan Circular Trail, Gyeongchun Line Forest Trail, and seven other walking trails, as well as eight key points along Jungnangcheon, Danghyeoncheon, Uicheon, and Mukdongcheon streams.

Additionally, healing refrigerators have been installed at three temporary screening clinics where residents must wait for long periods for COVID-19 testing. Since installation on the 11th, 4,920 bottles of water have been consumed, showing strong resident support.

Protection Measures for Heatwave-Vulnerable Groups

Preparations for vulnerable groups have also been completed. First, apartment security guards who had to work during last year’s heatwave can now work in a more comfortable environment. The "Security Office Air Conditioner Installation Support Project," funded with 200 million KRW by the district in January, has been completed. Air conditioners were added to a total of 372 security posts. As a result, 1,244 out of 1,295 posts (96%) in the area are now equipped with air conditioning.

Support for summer supplies and enhanced welfare calls will also be promoted. The district surveyed 3,609 elderly receiving customized care services and, reflecting preferences, will provide fans to 400 people excluding those supported in 2020.

Welfare calls will be strengthened non-face-to-face due to the implementation of COVID-19 social distancing level 4, avoiding visits. For about 3,600 elderly receiving customized care services, approximately 12,000 people including elderly living alone, disabled, and chronic patients under home health care programs, welfare calls will be made, disaster alerts during heatwave warnings will be communicated, and emergency visits will be conducted if no contact is made, operating a special management system.

Especially, the "Ddok Ddok Ddok Care Team," which has played a role in eliminating welfare blind spots and delivering welfare in the community, will act as a healthy summer guardian for vulnerable groups during the heatwave. Based on demand surveys for cooling supplies, prioritized items such as side dishes, summer health foods, pain relief patches, and handheld fans will be sponsored and distributed to about 5,500 recipients. Continuous welfare calls will also be made for about 6,400 Ddok Ddok Ddok recipients.

Public job safety management measures will also be implemented. Cool arm sleeves, cool scarves, and mini fans will be distributed to outdoor workers working long hours, and flexible working hours will be applied during heatwave warnings to suspend work during midday heat.

To protect outdoor workers at construction sites, heatwave safety rules will be disseminated and compliance checked to ensure safety.

Convenience Measures for Residents

Shade shelters will be installed and operated so pedestrians can avoid the hot sun while waiting for signals. A total of 99 locations have been installed at major crosswalks and traffic islands with heavy foot traffic. The number of two-step folding healing chairs attached to the shade shelters will be increased from 10 to 20 to provide more convenience to pedestrians.

Cooling fog operation is also being prepared. Using the evaporation of water molecules, cooling fog lowers the surrounding temperature by 2 to 5°C without wetting clothes or skin. It is currently installed on a trial basis at Hannae Neighborhood Park and Jongdalse Children's Park, and operation timing will be adjusted considering the COVID-19 situation.

Additionally, to reduce the heat island effect, six street-watering vehicles will conduct watering twice daily on 12 major roads and six zones within the district. Various methods, including guidance on heatwave preparedness via social media, will be used to protect residents’ health and safety.

Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, said, “We will make every effort in various ways to prevent vulnerable groups such as elderly living alone from suffering damage due to the early heatwave this year,” adding, “We will continue to do our best to protect the precious lives and property of residents from all kinds of disasters.”

For inquiries: Department of Autonomous Safety, Department of Elderly Welfare

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