Seongnam City Launches Comprehensive Winter Disaster Response Plan: "Citizen Safety Comes First"

Four-Month Plan in Operation Until March 15 Next Year
221 Snow Removal Vehicles and 28 Automated Systems Deployed
Equipment Reinforced for Heavy Snowfall and 223 Cold Wave Shelters in Operation

Seongnam City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Shin Sangjin) announced on November 17 that it will implement a comprehensive plan for four months until March 15 of next year to prepare for winter natural disasters such as sudden heavy snowfall and cold waves.

Snow removal vehicles waiting at the loading yard of the Water Quality Restoration Center in Sujeong-gu, Seongnam City. Provided by Seongnam City

On November 15, the city established a Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters according to emergency response levels. It secured 221 snow removal vehicles and 19,883 tons of snow-melting agents, which is an increase of 6 vehicles and about 6,000 tons of snow-melting agents compared to last year. Additionally, to strengthen snow removal on side roads, the city established a rental service system across all 50 districts, creating a more thorough snow removal plan.

To minimize inconvenience to citizens during heavy snowfall, snow removal vehicles will be pre-deployed on vulnerable routes. The city will also install six additional automated snow removal systems, such as road heating and automatic brine spraying devices, bringing the total to 28 locations. Through these measures, the city is fully prepared to respond swiftly even to unusual heavy snowfalls like those experienced last year.

To prepare for cold waves, a joint task force team with a 24-hour situation management system will be operated to minimize damage to vulnerable groups, such as elderly people living alone and the homeless.

The city will operate 223 cold wave shelters, including senior centers, financial institutions, libraries, and health centers, as well as 216 cold wave mitigation facilities, such as heated benches at bus stops, to provide citizen-focused protection measures. Additionally, the Jungwon District Office has been designated as a 24-hour emergency cold wave shelter to ensure citizens have a safe place to stay even during vulnerable hours.

Starting in December, when the cold weather begins in earnest, the city plans to provide winter supplies such as scarves and hot packs to elderly people living alone and the homeless to help them stay warm during winter.

A Seongnam City official said, "We will thoroughly prepare in all areas so that citizens can spend the winter safely and warmly."

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