Fishing Boat Capsizing, House Flooding, Landslides... Nationwide Damage from 'Water Bomb' Continues

As of 6 PM on the 14th, 216 Evacuees
90 Passenger Ships Controlled, 68 Flights Canceled

Due to continuous heavy rain, damage such as house flooding and landslides is occurring across the country.

According to the heavy rain response situation report released by the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) as of 6 p.m. on the 14th, a total of 18 houses nationwide have suffered flood damage. Gyeonggi Province had the highest number of flood damage cases with 14.

In Yeonggwang, Jeollanam-do, two fishing boats capsized, two were flooded, and one was lost. In Busan and Gyeonggi, 7 and 3 vehicles were flooded, respectively.

Power outages also occurred in various parts of the country. In Sangju, Gyeongsangbuk-do, 40 households experienced outages, and in Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, 900 households were affected; power has since been restored.

At 2:50 PM on the 14th, a house was flooded due to heavy rain in Samhyeon-ri, Nampo-myeon, Boryeong-si, Chungnam, and one resident was rescued. On that day, a heavy rain warning was issued for Boryeong, where 165.5 mm of rain fell from midnight to 7 PM. Provided by Chungnam Fire Headquarters, July 14, 2023 [Image source=Yonhap News]

There have been three reported casualties due to the heavy rain: one woman missing while walking along Hakjangcheon in Busan, and one injury each from road landslides in Boseong, Jeollanam-do, and Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.

On the 11th, a 75-year-old man who slipped while walking near Soyangcheon in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, was classified as a safety accident rather than a heavy rain casualty.

As heavy rain continues, landslide damage is also increasing. At 4:02 p.m. on the same day, a landslide occurred at the columbarium of Yangji Memorial Park in Nonsan, Chungcheongnam-do, burying four visitors, with two found in cardiac arrest. The cause of the accident is still under investigation, so it is not included in the CDSCH damage report.

At 6:37 p.m. the previous day, a large-scale landslide involving about 6,000 tons of rock covered the road at the slope of the Piam Tunnel section on County Road No. 3 in Jeongseon-eup, Jeongseon-gun, Gangwon Province.

The number of temporary evacuees sharply increased from 136 (as of 11 a.m.) to 216. Seoul had the highest number with 38 households and 78 people, followed by Gyeonggi with 17 households and 41 people, and Chungnam with 24 households and 34 people. Additionally, 67 households totaling 129 people have not returned home due to concerns about further damage.

Roads in 99 locations nationwide, including 23 in Chungnam, are currently closed, and 700 footpaths along rivers and the Sewol Bridge are also restricted.

Due to the issuance of a wind and wave advisory, 90 passenger ships on 66 routes, including Baengnyeong-Incheon and Mokpo-Hongdo, have been suspended, and a total of 68 flights have been canceled. Gimhae Airport had the most cancellations with 28 flights, followed by Gimpo Airport with 17, and Jeju Airport with 15.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, heavy rain warnings are currently in effect for southern Gyeonggi, Chungcheong region, southern inland and mountainous areas of Gangwon, northern Jeonbuk, and parts of inland Gyeongbuk, with very heavy rain of 20 to 60 mm per hour in some areas.

The regions of greatest concern for damage are southern Chungcheong and Jeonbuk. In Gunsan and Buan counties of Jeonbuk, the daily rainfall as of 5 p.m. reached 394.1 mm and 241.4 mm respectively, marking the highest July daily rainfall ever recorded in these areas. From the previous day, 200 to 350 mm of rain has accumulated in Jeonbuk and southern Chungcheong. Up to 400 mm more rain is expected in these two regions through the weekend.

On the previous day, as heavy rain warnings expanded mainly in the central region, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety raised the crisis alert level from 'Caution' to the highest level 'Severe' at 8:30 p.m., and upgraded the CDSCH from level 2 to level 3.

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