Gwangju Office of Education Enters Emergency Mode Due to Heavy Rainfall

Real-Time Inspection Ordered for School Damage and Routes to School
Power Outage at Gwangju Technical High School... 530 Students Sent Home Early

On the afternoon of July 17, the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education held a countermeasure meeting to respond to the heavy rainfall, checking the damage status at schools in real time and taking steps to ensure student safety. The office instructed all schools in the district to maintain an emergency duty system and organized a response team led by the Safety Management Division to continuously monitor and respond to any damage.

On the morning of the 17th, when a heavy rain warning was in effect, shops and roads near Baegun Square in Namgu, Gwangju were flooded, and officials were conducting drainage operations. Photo by Yonhap News

The office decided to strengthen the management of school facilities such as drainage systems and manhole covers, and to conduct intensive inspections of areas at risk of landslides, including retaining walls and slopes. It also plans to maintain a cooperative system with related organizations, such as the Gwangju City Natural Disaster Division, to ensure a prompt response.

Official notices were sent to all schools, instructing them to inspect the safety of school routes and, at the discretion of each principal, to consider adjusting arrival and dismissal times and changing academic schedules. For high schools, the office recommended refraining from nighttime self-study sessions in consideration of student safety.

At approximately 10:50 a.m. on the same day, Gwangju Technical High School experienced a power outage due to lightning. Although power was restored after about one hour, the school found it difficult to continue classes and provide meals, so all 530 students were sent home.

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