Taking Care of Residents' Health Amid the Heatwave... Seoul Gangseo-gu Adds 7 More Cooling Shade Shelters, Operating 107 Locations

Gangseo-gu Establishes Comprehensive Heatwave Measures and Takes Proactive Action... Operating 107 Cooling Centers with 220 Additional Heatwave Shelters and 7 Shade Tents

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Gangseo-gu, Seoul (Mayor Noh Hyun-song) announced that it has established a comprehensive heatwave countermeasure plan and has taken proactive measures to protect residents' health during this summer's heatwave.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, this summer is expected to have higher temperatures than usual, requiring thorough preparation for the heatwave.

Accordingly, the district has established five key tasks: ▲ Establishing and operating a heatwave situation management and communication system ▲ Preparing protection measures for vulnerable groups such as elderly living alone and mobility-impaired individuals ▲ Operating ‘Heatwave Shade Shelters’ and ‘Heatwave Rest Centers’ ▲ Safety management of vulnerable facilities and water spraying vehicle activities to mitigate urban heat islands ▲ Intensive promotion of citizen action guidelines in response to heatwave alerts, and has begun full-scale preparations.

Until September 30, the heatwave countermeasure period, a Heatwave Situation Management T/F team consisting of 13 members in three units?Situation Management General Team, Emergency Life Safety Support Team, and Facility Countermeasure Team?will operate continuously during normal times.

When a heatwave alert is issued, a comprehensive heatwave countermeasure support situation room composed of 27 members in five units, led by the district mayor as the head, will be activated to respond immediately with related organizations to prevent damage to residents.

In particular, to protect vulnerable groups from the heatwave, disaster helpers are designated, and visiting health management services and heatwave rest centers are operated.

A total of 125 disaster helpers check the health status of approximately 1,900 elderly living alone, and 37 visiting nurses provide a ‘Visiting Health Management Service’ by visiting homes of health-vulnerable groups such as disabled persons and chronic patients to check their health.

Additionally, 220 locations including welfare centers, community service centers, and senior citizen lounges are designated and operated as heatwave rest centers. Agreements have been made with two lodging facilities to serve as safe accommodations for low-income elderly aged 65 and over living in poor housing conditions.

Seven additional Heatwave Shade Shelters will be installed this year, bringing the total to 107 locations.

Furthermore, safety management for vulnerable facilities and workplace-specific safety measures for construction and industrial workers have been prepared.

From June to August, joint inspections of energy supply facilities vulnerable to heatwaves, such as petroleum and gas, will be conducted with related organizations including the Korea Gas Safety Corporation and Seoul City Gas to prevent disaster accidents in advance.

Moreover, to protect the health of outdoor workers, a ‘Heatwave Rest Time System’ will be operated from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. during heatwaves, and the installation of rest facilities at work sites is recommended.

A district official stated, “We will do our best to ensure residents can safely spend the summer through proactive responses to the heatwave,” and added, “We ask all residents to familiarize themselves in advance with the citizen action guidelines for heatwave preparedness to have a healthy summer.”

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