'129mm Heavy Rain in 3 Hours' Causes Snowballing Damage in Pohang Jukjang-myeon... Wave of Volunteer Support at the Site

Road Washed Away and Over 100 Buildings Flooded Due to River Overflow, 25 Vehicles Submerged
Communication and Electricity Restored, Damage Assessment Underway for Orchards and Farmland

Mayor Lee Gang-deok helping with recovery work at a house damaged by the Jukjangmyeon flood.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongguk Lee] The scale of damage in Jukjang-myeon, Buk-gu, Pohang City, which was hit by record-breaking heavy rain, is growing like a snowball.

Typhoon No. 12 'Omais' and low-pressure system brought continuous heavy rain on the 24th, resulting in a record-breaking downpour of 129mm in just three hours across Jukjang-myeon.

The heavy rain caused the Jaocheon River to overflow, washing away parts of the National Road No. 31 Ipam 2 Bridge connecting road and two local roads. Additionally, 60 houses, 30 commercial buildings including Jukjang Market (Ipam Market) and Jukjang Bathhouse were flooded; 10 village access roads were destroyed; 25 vehicles were submerged; and electricity and communication were cut off for 1,500 households across seven villages, causing extensive damage.

Among these, the National Road connecting Ipam 2 Bridge was temporarily restored for traffic after overnight emergency repair work, and power transmission and communication for 1,500 households were also restored. With communication and electricity restored, additional damages to river facilities, village roads, orchard farms, and farmland are being revealed across the wide 235.82 km² area of Jukjang-myeon.

However, village access roads and river roads connecting each village in Jukjang-myeon are still intermittently cut off, slowing damage assessment. Once detailed damage assessment is completed, the damage is expected to grow like a snowball.

Soldiers from the Army 50th Division Quartermaster Battalion are engaged in flood recovery work in Jukjang-myeon.

Volunteer efforts totaling 3,000 people continue... Civil, government, and military unite, working hard to restore damaged homes and support farms

Meanwhile, volunteer and relief supply support from various sectors of civil society, government, and military continues, accelerating recovery efforts.

In the heavily affected areas such as Jukjang-myeon in Buk-gu and Guryongpo-eup in Nam-gu, Pohang City, a large-scale volunteer force of about 3,000 people, including 1,700 military personnel, 500 public officials, and 800 volunteers, is actively supporting damage recovery efforts.

First, soldiers from the 50th Division's Funeral Battalion of the Army have been working tirelessly since the night of the 24th to support flood recovery in Jukjang-myeon, Buk-gu, Pohang City.

The Pohang City Volunteer Center's 'Dispatch! Disaster Keeper Volunteer Corps,' Jukjang-myeon 119 Volunteer Fire Brigade, Gyeongbuk Safety Mobile Unit, and Pohang Saemaul Association Safety Disaster Volunteer Corps members have also been deployed to restore flooded roads and houses in Jukjang-myeon, providing swift emergency recovery support.

In particular, Pohang City public officials have been visiting damage sites in each village of Jukjang-myeon daily, removing mud accumulated in houses, alleys, warehouses, and orchard farms, and transporting relief supplies, playing a vital role in recovery and volunteer activities.

Emergency relief supplies to comfort typhoon-affected residents of Jukjang-myeon and support their quick return to daily life are also arriving. The Pohang Branch of the Korea Water Resources Corporation donated 10,000 bottles of drinking water, and Son Byeong-gon, a native of Jukjang-myeon and CEO of Wooju Industrial Development, donated 2,500 bottles of drinking water.

The Korean Red Cross provided 200 emergency relief kits (including daily necessities, blankets, and quilts), and West Pohang Nonghyup also supported 100 boxes of relief kits (toilet paper, cup noodles, instant rice, etc.). Gyeongbuk Nonghyup delivered about 90 boxes of emergency living supplies and drinking water to affected farmers and is assisting with labor for recovery of flooded houses and agricultural damage.

Volunteer efforts from civil, government, and military sectors have also greatly supported recovery in other heavily damaged areas such as Guryongpo-eup in Nam-gu, Pohang City, Janggi-myeon, Homigot-myeon, and Donghae-myeon. Members of Daegu Bank Pohang Love Volunteer Group (led by Yeo Dong-dal) visited the flood sites in Guryongpo-eup and worked passionately on recovery efforts, while the Samsung Electronics Service Center in Guryongpo provided free A/S support.

Mayor Lee Kang-deok expressed, "I sincerely thank all volunteers, self-governing organizations, military personnel, and public officials who are voluntarily practicing service and sharing, as their efforts are greatly accelerating typhoon damage recovery and providing strong support."

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