Jeonnam Province's Field-Centered, Systematic, and Comprehensive Response by Sector to Prepare for 'Hinnamnor'

[Muan=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Yoon Jamin] Jeonnam Province's proactive, on-site, all-out response to Typhoon No. 11 ‘Hinnamnor’ is drawing attention.

The province activated the Disaster Safety Countermeasures Headquarters preemptively from the 28th of last month, when the typhoon's risk began to emerge, entering an emergency duty system.

Since the 2nd, the highest disaster response level has been declared, and all public officials, including Governor Kim Young-rok of Jeonnam Province, have been working on holidays to patrol the sites and take safety measures.

In order to minimize damage to agricultural and marine products during the harvest season ahead of the holidays, Jeonnam Province encouraged early shipment, harvesting 6,200 hectares of rice mainly early-ripening varieties. Early harvests accounted for 44% of pears and 27% of total fruit trees.

In particular, under Governor Kim's directive, four self-inspection teams consisting of the province, city and county officials, and village chiefs have been formed to strengthen daily surveillance activities at 1,004 steep slopes, 18 flood-prone roads, and 151 construction sites.

Additionally, preventive measures tailored to on-site conditions such as removal of piled materials and brushwood, drainage maintenance, and installation of waterproof sheets are being continuously communicated via text messages and social networking services (SNS) along with guidelines for residents' actions.

For 2,998 areas at risk of landslides, 1,421 evacuation sites have been secured for 9,167 households and 15,000 residents. Village officials, chiefs, and landslide prevention teams are linked to strengthen on-site inspections.

In fact, by 6 p.m. on the 5th, 2,393 residents in landslide-prone areas such as Gurye, Boseong, and Hampyeong were evacuated.

Regarding marine bridges, vehicle traffic must be restricted if the average wind speed exceeds 25 m/s for 10 minutes according to the Road Act.

There are 66 marine bridges in Jeonnam (36 national roads, 10 local roads, 20 city and county roads). So far, no restrictions have been imposed, but related information is being publicized. Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and provincial staff are stationed nearby and will immediately restrict traffic if wind speeds exceed 25 m/s.

For 105 industrial complexes in Jeonnam, factory managers' councils, tenant company associations, companies, and related officials have inspected the entire site and completed measures at 247 locations by the 5th, including securing piled materials and maintaining areas around manholes.

Five ports under construction have been closed to civilians, and about 27,000 fishing vessels have completed securing and reinforcement measures as well as collision prevention within the ports.

Safety measures have been taken in 19 cities and counties with urban gas pipeline projects in cooperation with suppliers. For solar power facilities in mountainous areas, 114 facilities near residential areas with concerns about soft ground subsidence were intensively inspected, and safety measures such as removal of sediment from drainage channels were implemented.

At 151 construction sites, preventive measures such as securing materials and equipment and reinforcing safety facilities were carried out. Waterproof curtains were installed to prevent flooding in underground parking lots of apartment complexes, and 17 households in five cities and counties with semi-basement homes were preemptively evacuated.

For vulnerable groups such as elderly living alone and disabled persons, safety is checked daily through welfare calls. COVID-19 vaccines are managed with real-time temperature deviation sensors in preparation for power outages and other situations.

To prevent casualties from outdoor forest activities during strong winds and heavy rain, outdoor facilities such as forest roads, forest trails, and natural recreation forests have been completely closed.

The main targets are 2,894 km of forest roads, 4,181 km of forest trails, 15 natural recreation forests, one forest campground, and nine healing forests.

Natural recreation forests and forest campgrounds with lodging facilities will suspend operations on the 5th and 6th, when the typhoon is expected to make landfall in Korea.

Along with these sector-specific typhoon damage prevention measures, Jeonnam Province, under Governor Kim's special instructions, has prepared a resource mobilization system including 15,000 firefighting personnel and equipment, about 5,000 military personnel, and 99,000 civil defense members to ensure zero casualties through emergency rescue responses in case of damage.

Governor Kim said, “As Typhoon ‘Hinnamnor’ is rapidly moving north and expected to affect Jeonnam, we will prioritize the safety of residents and concentrate administrative power to prevent casualties. Along with preventive measures, we have prepared to respond swiftly through immediate damage assessments and ensure no disruption in protection measures such as rapid relief and essential supplies support in case of disaster victims.”

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