▲ On the morning of the 17th, a road in Eunpung-myeon, Yecheon-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do was washed away due to heavy rain. (Newsis)
The Seoul Metropolitan Government will deliver emergency support funds to areas that have suffered massive damage from recent torrential rains.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 23rd that it would provide emergency support of KRW 600 million from the External Cooperation Fund to help residents in areas declared as special disaster areas, such as Chungbuk, Chungnam, Gyeongbuk, Jeonbuk, and Sejong, return to their daily lives as soon as possible.
The support money will be delivered to the National Disaster Relief Association, a donation collection agency under the ‘Disaster Relief Act’, and will be used to stabilize the livelihood of victims and restore damaged facilities.
Earlier, from the 17th to the 21st, the city of Seoul also delivered about 60,000 bottles of bottle water to 11 cities and counties, including Cheongju-si and Goesan-gun in Chungcheongbuk-do, Cheongyang-gun and Gongju-si in Chungcheongnam-do, and Yeongju-si and Bonghwa-gun in Gyeongbuk. After confirming the demand for emergency drinking water in each affected city and county, it was delivered directly through the ‘Arisu-dong Volunteer Corps’ consisting of 70 employees of the Waterworks Project Headquarters. With the help of HK Innoen, a partner company of the Seoul Volunteer Center, it was decided to provide 12,000 barley sprouts to affected areas.
In addition, 230 volunteers recruited by the Seoul Volunteer Center are working hard to support on the spot. The Seoul Volunteer Center recruited participants through a network of participating organizations specializing in disasters, in response to emergency requests from Goesan, Chungcheongbuk-do and Yecheon, Gyeongbuk. They are active in various fields, such as operating laundry trucks, supporting victims, and searching for drones.
The Seoul Volunteer Center plans to recruit 160 additional volunteers and dispatch them to Goesan-gun on the 27th and 28th. Citizens who are interested can contact the Seoul Volunteer Center (1670-1365, 02-2136-8732).
The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to actively support the return to daily life of the victims who have lost their homes by dispatching additional volunteers if there is a request for additional assistance from affected cities or counties.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said, “The damage suffered by regions such as North Gyeongsang Province and North Chungcheong Province due to the unprecedented heavy rain is a loss to all of us and a pain for all of us. I once again asked the staff to double-check if there are any shortages of goods or equipment at the disaster site, and to make the most of available resources to provide preemptive support.”