Seoul City to Manage Heat Wave and Flood Vulnerable Groups with AI

Comprehensive Summer Measures Launched: Protection Across Four Key Areas
Expanded Cooling Shelters and Cooling Roads for the Elderly and Homeless
Introduction of Intelligent River CCTVs and AI-Based Flood Prediction

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on May 13 that it will implement its "Comprehensive Summer Measures" for five months starting from May 15. The initiative focuses on four key areas: heat waves, flood control, safety, and health, with the core objective of providing tailored protection for vulnerable groups.

First, in order to respond swiftly to heat waves and minimize damage, a phased response system for heat wave crisis alerts will be in operation until September 30. During normal conditions, signs of danger will be monitored through a mobile situation room, and if a Level 1 or 2 heat wave advisory is issued, a comprehensive support situation room will be activated. If the advisory persists or large-scale damage is anticipated at Level 3, the Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters will be mobilized for an all-out response to the heat wave disaster.

An alley in the shantytown of Yeongdeungpo, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Customized support will also be provided for vulnerable groups at greater risk from prolonged heat waves, such as the elderly, people experiencing homelessness, residents of shantytowns, people with severe disabilities, and low-income individuals. Monitoring programs and AI/IoT-based initiatives to check in on and manage the health of low-income seniors living alone or those with chronic illnesses, which have proven effective, will continue this year.

Eight cooling shelters will be set up at shantytown counseling centers, and six "night heat shelters" (including companion bathhouses and the Seoul Station Shantytown Counseling Center) will be operated. Special patrol teams will be deployed in shantytown areas, and nurses will continue to visit those most vulnerable to health risks once daily. The city will also clean 209 communal air conditioners and provide up to 200,000 won in support for electricity bills. For low-income households struggling to pay utility bills, the "Seoul-type Emergency Welfare" program will offer financial, medical, or in-kind assistance, while big data on 47 types of crisis information, such as overdue electricity fees, will be used to continually identify and support at-risk groups.

This year, the city will further enhance data-driven forecasting and monitoring to detect risk signs early and ensure the safety of citizens through timely warnings and evacuation guidance. Key initiatives include early detection of sudden heavy rainfall, the introduction of intelligent CCTVs along rivers, and the use of AI to predict road flooding.

The number of semi-basement flood warning facilities equipped with radar sensors, which can detect hazards even in narrow alleys, will increase from 15 locations last year to 45 this year. Currently, a total of 17,779 semi-basement households are equipped with flood prevention facilities. To assist disaster-vulnerable residents such as people with disabilities and the elderly living in semi-basements, small groups of "companion partners" (about five people per household), comprised of neighbors and public officials, will be matched with a total of 925 households this year, and customized evacuation route maps will be distributed.

In addition, the city will conduct intensive inspections of facilities vulnerable to disasters, including 308 private construction sites, 110 hazardous buildings, 630 road facilities (including 158.6 km of expressway), 451 water supply facilities and construction sites, 59 long-used waterworks construction sites, and 8,175 social welfare facilities.

Kim Hyungrae, Director of Policy Planning at the Seoul Metropolitan Government, stated, "As extreme heat waves and sudden torrential rains have become daily occurrences due to the climate crisis, we will prioritize protecting the lives and safety of citizens and mobilize all administrative resources. We also ask all citizens to actively cooperate with heat wave or heavy rain advisories and warnings, and to show warm concern for neighbors in need."

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