Mayor Baek Younghyun Welcomes Special Disaster Zone Declaration... Vows Full Efforts for Swift Recovery

Pocheon Declared a Special Disaster Zone Due to Torrential Rain Damage
Mayor Baek: "We Will Also Pursue Fundamental Flood Prevention and Permanent Countermeasures"

Baek Younghyun, mayor of Pocheon, expressed his welcome for the government's decision to designate all areas of Pocheon, which suffered significant damage from heavy rains, as a Special Disaster Zone.

Baek Younghyun, mayor of Pocheon, is holding a countermeasure meeting at the Naechon-myeon site. Photo by Pocheon City

This declaration of a Special Disaster Zone is a response to the extensive damage caused by the torrential downpours, including flooded homes, loss of farmland, damage to small business owners and SMEs, and destruction of public facilities.

As a result, administrative and financial support for swift recovery has now become available. The government's decision is the result of close cooperation between Pocheon City and Gyeonggi Province, and recovery efforts are expected to accelerate further.

On July 20, immediately after the heavy rain began, Mayor Baek Younghyun proactively activated Emergency Level 3 of the Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, personally visited the affected areas to urgently inspect the situation on-site, led thorough preparedness and recovery efforts, and held emergency on-site meetings with affected residents to discuss practical support measures. He also requested additional Special Disaster Zone declarations and appealed for government assistance.

Special Disaster Zone Declaration. Provided by Pocheon City

The provisional damage estimate for Pocheon City is 30.3 billion won. The city applied for the designation of all areas of Pocheon as a Special Disaster Zone, including Naechon-myeon and Soheul-eup, which suffered particularly severe damage. As a result, on August 6, the entire city of Pocheon in Gyeonggi Province was declared a Special Disaster Zone, and additional national funding is expected to be provided under Article 7 of the Regulations on Relief and Recovery Cost Sharing for Natural Disasters.

Mayor Baek Younghyun stated, "This Special Disaster Zone declaration is a meaningful achievement accomplished together with our citizens," and added, "Pocheon City will establish a more stable system and do its utmost for rapid recovery and support for affected residents. Above all, we will actively pursue permanent preventive projects to fundamentally prevent flood damage."

Baek Younghyun, mayor of Pocheon, is inspecting the damage site in Naechon-myeon. Provided by Pocheon City

He further emphasized, "We will mobilize all administrative resources to responsibly support residents so that they can return to their daily lives as soon as possible."

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