Spreading Heavy Snow and Cold Wave Action Guidelines... Gyeongbuk Province Enters Emergency Response System for Weather Warnings

Emergency Snow Removal from 17th to 19th, Preemptive Response with Pre-applied Deicing Agents

Strengthening Safety Management through Welfare Calls to Elderly Vulnerable Groups

Cold Wave Preparedness Guidelines.

Heavy Snow Preparedness Guidelines.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Koo Dae-sun] As daytime temperatures remain below freezing and the cold wave continues, Gyeongbuk Province has activated an emergency system to prepare for natural disasters, including distributing guidelines on how to respond to heavy snow and cold waves.

From the 17th to the 19th, a heavy snow advisory was issued for Sangju and Ulleung in Gyeongbuk, a cold wave warning was issued for 12 northern cities and counties including Bonghwa and Mungyeong, and a cold wave advisory was issued for 10 other cities and counties excluding Ulleung.

To respond proactively, Gyeongbuk Province began operating Disaster Safety Countermeasures Headquarters at Emergency Level 1 from 1 p.m. on the 17th.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, cold air moving southward from the northwest will cause morning temperatures to drop by about 3 to 6 degrees compared to the previous day until the 20th, with temperatures expected to be around minus 15 degrees Celsius in the northern inland areas of Gyeongbuk and some southern inland areas, making it extremely cold.

This cold spell is expected to continue until the 20th, after which temperatures will rise from daytime and return to normal levels.

Gyeongbuk Province deployed 74 snow removal vehicles, 132 tons of calcium chloride, 60 cubic meters of sand, and 16 tons of brine for emergency snow removal and pre-application in the cities and counties where heavy snow warnings were issued and in seven surrounding cities and counties.

Additionally, patrol activities have been strengthened for structures vulnerable to heavy snow and for road sections prone to freezing due to the rapid temperature drop.

As temperatures dropped sharply, safety management was reinforced by visiting or making welfare calls to 18,537 vulnerable individuals, including elderly living alone and residents of small rooms, who are susceptible to cold waves.

Measures to prevent freezing have also been thoroughly implemented for water supply facilities and agricultural, livestock, and fisheries facilities.

Education on cold wave response guidelines was also provided to 3,393 caregivers for vulnerable elderly individuals.

To protect residents' health and prevent property damage, publicity efforts have been focused through village broadcasts at 2,671 locations, SMS messages to 27,143 people, 48 electronic display boards, and disaster text messages to encourage responses to heavy snow and cold waves.

Kim Jung-kwon, Director of Disaster Safety at Gyeongbuk Province, said, “We are putting all our efforts into preventive activities to ensure that residents do not suffer damage or inconvenience from this heavy snow and cold wave. We are proactively implementing safety measures such as pre-application of snow removal agents and management of vulnerable groups during the cold wave, and we ask all residents to strictly follow the response guidelines to prevent damage.”

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