Namhae County Mobilizes All-Out Efforts for Summer Natural Disasters... "Aiming for Zero Casualties"

Inspection Meeting Held on Flood and Heatwave Response Measures

Strengthening Protection for Vulnerable Groups and On-Site Response

Namhae County in South Gyeongsang Province is launching a proactive response system aimed at achieving "zero casualties" as it prepares for natural disasters such as typhoons, heavy rains, and heatwaves during the summer season.

On the morning of the 18th, Namhae County held the '2026 Summer Natural Disaster (Typhoon, Flood, Heatwave) Response Measures Inspection Meeting' at the county office large conference room, chaired by County Mayor Jang Chungnam, to check the preparedness of each department's response.

This meeting was organized to minimize damage to the lives and property of county residents, as the intensity and frequency of floods and heatwaves are increasing due to climate change.

[Photo by Namhae County] On the morning of the 18th, Namhae County held a "2026 Summer Natural Disaster (Wind, Flood, and Heatwave) Response Measures Inspection Meeting" in the large conference room of the county office, presided over by County Governor Jang Chungnam, to review the preparedness status of each department.

The county has set this year's summer disaster response goal as "zero casualties through thorough pre-emptive measures" and plans to strengthen its field-oriented response system.

To prepare for floods and typhoons, the county completed pre-safety inspections for 49 locations deemed at risk of casualties, such as rivers and steep slopes, as well as for flood prevention facilities. In addition, to ensure swift evacuation in the event of a disaster, Namhae County enacted the "Ordinance on Disaster Evacuation in Namhae County" in April, granting township and town mayors the authority to issue resident evacuation orders under the "act first, report later" principle, thereby reinforcing on-site response authority.

In particular, to protect residents in areas at risk of landslides and flooding, the county operates a Resident Evacuation Support Team and has established one-on-one links between 92 people classified as vulnerable and 51 designated evacuation assistants, ensuring that swift evacuation support can be provided in emergencies.

Furthermore, the county will minimize gaps in disaster response by maintaining a 24-hour information sharing system between the Disaster Situation Room, the CCTV Integrated Control Center, and the duty room.

Measures to address heatwaves will also be expanded. The county plans to operate a phased field response system in accordance with the new "heatwave severe warning" and "tropical night advisory" introduced this year.

To this end, pre-inspections have been completed for 115 shade structures and 83 cooling fog installations, and water-spraying vehicles will be operated twice daily on main roads from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., the hottest hours of the day.

Additionally, 448 locations, including senior centers and financial institutions, have been designated and are being operated as cooling centers. The county has also appointed 221 local residents familiar with village conditions as "heatwave village supervisors" to regularly check on the well-being of vulnerable groups such as seniors living alone and to provide guidance on heatwave safety practices.

At the same time, measures to protect outdoor workers at construction sites and those in the agricultural and fisheries sectors will be promoted. The county will focus on inspecting whether the five basic heatwave safety rules—water, ventilation, shade, rest, and cooling gear—are being observed at construction sites. It also plans to expand support by providing 70 water-cooled vests for elderly farmers and additional high-temperature response equipment for aquaculture farms.

County Mayor Jang Chungnam stated, "As the risks of floods and heatwaves increase due to climate change, even more thorough preparations are required compared to previous years. We will manage vulnerable groups who may have difficulty receiving disaster alerts or broadcasts with extra care, and do our utmost to prevent even a single casualty."

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