Ministry of the Interior and Safety to Implement Comprehensive Measures for Summer Typhoons, Heavy Rain, and Heatwaves... All-Government Full-Scale Response from the 15th

"Realizing a Safe Society Protecting Citizens' Safety and Lives from Climate Change"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The government is promoting a 'Comprehensive Summer Measures for Typhoons, Heavy Rain, and Heatwaves' to expand public participation and strengthen the prior provision of risk information in order to protect the safety and lives of the people from typhoons, heavy rain, and heatwaves.

On the 12th, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that it has prepared comprehensive measures jointly with related agencies and will launch an all-government full-scale response starting from the 15th. Although last year's monsoon period was short, there was a large disparity in rainfall between regions, and heavy rainfall was concentrated during specific periods (July monsoon, August pressure trough and typhoon ‘Omais’), causing damage such as the declaration of special disaster areas mainly in the southern regions.

According to this summer's weather forecast, rainfall is expected to be similar to the average (622.7~790.5mm), but due to atmospheric instability, there will likely be significant regional differences, and temperatures are expected to be higher than the average (23.7℃). In addition, the average sea surface temperature around the Korean Peninsula during summer has been rising by 5.2℃ over 21 years, maintaining the possibility of typhoon development and impact.

The government plans to designate areas with high risk of human casualties such as landslides, slope collapses, and rapid river currents as disaster-prone areas, focusing on minimizing casualties through on-site-centered measures such as pre-evacuation of residents and strengthening management of blind spots.

First, to quickly disseminate weather information, the government will operate the forecast briefing, which was piloted during summer, year-round, and during meetings between flood and dam-related agencies, will shift from simple weather information sharing to joint intensive discussions on expected rainfall inflow and dam discharge decisions in anticipated flood and dam release areas.

On-site safety management will also be strengthened. The government will conduct focused investigations and discoveries of vulnerable areas and facilities where casualties frequently occur, such as landslides, slope collapses, and underground passages, designate 5,602 sites as disaster-prone areas, appoint multiple managers including public officials and community leaders, and induce rapid resident evacuation through automatic disaster risk text alerts. To prevent casualties from landslides, surveillance and inspections of landslide-prone areas will be intensified, and disaster risk assessments will be mandatory when approving solar power facilities in mountainous areas.

Key safety management measures by sector include involving local governments and resident representatives in dam operations to strengthen mutual communication for flood management of dams and rivers, and adjusting the dam gate release notice system from the existing 3 hours to 24 hours in advance. In particular, dam water levels will be maintained below the flood season restriction level to expand flood control capacity in preparation for heavy rain. Furthermore, the government plans to strengthen public guidance on behavioral rules and support systems for stable living at disaster sites by selecting six major risk types during typhoons and heavy rain?rapid river currents, vehicle flooding, strong winds, landslides, crossing of low-water bridges, and waterway management?and focusing on public behavioral guidelines.

All-Government Full-Scale Response to Minimize Casualties in Heatwave Vulnerable Areas

The government has set a heatwave countermeasure period and prepared comprehensive measures aimed at minimizing casualties from heatwaves in preparation for hotter summers due to abnormal climate. In particular, it has focused on managing the ‘three major vulnerable areas to heatwaves’ where casualties frequently occur to establish more systematic countermeasures.

First, a self-diagnosis checklist to assess heatwave vulnerability will be distributed to outdoor workers, and inspections and publicity on heatwave prevention measures at construction sites will be strengthened. Then, to strengthen surveillance and publicity focusing on heatwave safety blind spots in rural areas of towns and townships, heatwave coping education and publicity for elderly farmers will be conducted at nine provincial agricultural technology institutes and 154 agricultural technology centers. Additionally, 646 nationwide elderly customized care service institutions will be designated as key cooling centers, and during the heatwave countermeasure period, health checks using intelligent (smart) devices will be conducted in parallel to actively prevent heatwave casualties among vulnerable groups.

Kim Seong-ho, head of the Disaster and Safety Management Headquarters, said, “During this summer’s natural disaster countermeasure period, we will concentrate all capabilities of the central government and local governments to do our best to protect the precious lives and property of the people,” and emphasized, “We ask the public to regularly check for any risk factors around their daily lives and to familiarize themselves with public behavioral guidelines in advance to prepare and avoid damage.”

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