Government Finalizes August Heavy Rain Damages at 35.1 Billion KRW, Allocates 86.9 Billion KRW for Recovery

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters announced on the 22nd that, after a review, it has finalized the damages from the August heavy rainfall at 35.1 billion KRW and decided to allocate a total of 86.9 billion KRW for recovery efforts.

On August 3-4, heavy rainfall affected regions south of Chungcheong Province due to a low-pressure system. Subsequently, the development of a stationary front brought over 200mm of rain to the southern coast (August 9-12) and the Seoul metropolitan area (August 13-14). As a result, private property across the country was damaged, including 3,536 houses (2 completely destroyed, 6 partially destroyed, 3,528 flooded), 881 hectares of agricultural and forest crops, 30 hectares of farmland, and 2,429 small business establishments.

In terms of public facilities, damages were reported at 204 rivers and small streams, 69 small-scale facilities, 27 roads, 25 water and sewage sites, and 19 locations affected by landslides.

The government has finalized the total recovery budget for the August heavy rainfall at 86.9 billion KRW. Of this, 37.3 billion KRW is allocated for the restoration of public facilities, while 49.6 billion KRW is earmarked for disaster relief funds to support affected individuals.

Public facilities will be restored according to local conditions to ensure they can maintain their original functions. The disaster relief funds provided to affected residents will be distributed at a level similar to the standards applied during the heavy rainfall in July, as determined through review by the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters.

For flooded homes, the support amount will be doubled from the previous 3.5 million KRW to 7 million KRW, covering not only wallpapering and flooring costs but also damages to home appliances and household goods. For completely destroyed homes, an additional 60 million KRW will be provided on top of the existing government support. Policyholders of disaster insurance will receive an extra 32 million KRW in addition to their insurance payout. Support for small business owners affected by property damage will also be doubled from 5 million KRW to 10 million KRW.

For damages to agricultural and forest crops, livestock, and marine products, the support rate will be increased from the previous 50% to 100%. All types of damaged agricultural machinery will be eligible for support, with the support rate raised from 35% to 50%. The support rate for damages to agricultural, livestock, forestry, and fisheries facilities will also be increased from 35% to 45%.

Even in regions such as Seoul and Incheon, where the scale of damage was relatively small and did not meet the criteria for national funding, disaster relief funds will be provided according to the same standards.

In addition, various indirect benefits will be provided to affected residents.

In general disaster areas, 24 types of benefits will be offered, including deferred national tax payments, extended deadlines for local tax payments, exemptions from national pension contributions, disaster recovery loans, emergency business stabilization loans, and reductions in water and sewage fees. In special disaster areas, an additional 13 benefits will be provided, including reductions in national health insurance premiums, electricity and telecommunications fees, and city gas fees. For indirect support items such as reductions in electricity, telecommunications, and city gas fees, which apply to all disaster victims, support will be provided through a one-stop process without a separate application. However, for items that require individual application, such as various loans or exemptions from farmland conservation charges, beneficiaries must apply directly to the relevant institutions to receive the benefits.

Minister Yoon Hojoong stated, "The government will promptly distribute national subsidies according to the finalized recovery plan and, in cooperation with local governments, aims to provide disaster relief funds before the Chuseok holiday."

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