Association of Mayors and Governors of Korea Demands Declaration of Special Disaster Areas in Flood-Affected Regions

[Suwon Ilbo=Correspondent Seo Dong-young] The Association of Mayors and Governors of Korea (Association), with Suwon Mayor Yeom Tae-young as chair, released a statement on the 11th urging the government to take swift support measures in response to the nation's severe disaster situation caused by heavy rains. .

Through the statement, the Association strongly demanded that the criteria for special disaster areas be flexibly applied or swiftly declared as broad special disaster areas to significantly expand disaster areas nationwide as a countermeasure against heavy rain.

It also recommended to the government to expedite the compilation of the fourth supplementary budget for flood recovery.

Currently, the Association is internally operating a "Heavy Rain Damage Area Support Task Force" in response to the record-breaking rainfall and monitoring heavy rain damage situations nationwide, while taking proactive measures to support severely affected areas.

Chair Yeom Tae-young stated, "The people's suffering and concerns from this flood disaster are truly profound. Right now, basic local governments are sending food items such as bottled water and instant noodles to flood-affected areas with a collective spirit. Volunteer groups are also actively engaging in cleanup of inundated homes and removal of debris."

He continued, "Local governments have already exhausted their finances by providing COVID-19 disaster relief payments, and most places find it difficult to establish substantial measures as this disaster compounds their difficulties. I earnestly request that the government and the ruling and opposition political circles take into account these challenging circumstances of local governments when establishing disaster response measures."

[Statement]

We strongly urge the expansion of special disaster areas.

This heavy rain is causing damage of unprecedented scale. The heavy rains that began in Busan have spread nationwide to North and South Chungcheong provinces, Gyeonggi Province, Gangwon Province, North and South Jeolla provinces, and North and South Gyeongsang provinces, causing massive damage. In particular, due to embankment collapses at the Seomjin River, Nakdong River, and Yeongsan River, the nation is facing enormous hardship not only in loss of life but also in damage to crops and social infrastructure.

The Association of Mayors and Governors of Korea hereby urges the following:

First, the declaration of special disaster areas should be made as soon as possible. Swift declaration of special disaster areas is a minimum measure to address the sense of loss and despair felt by disaster victims and residents in directly affected areas, and is the fastest path to alleviating the suffering of disaster victims.

Second, we urge the flexible application of criteria for designating special disaster areas and the expansion to actual metropolitan scale by consolidating adjacent cities and counties. Flood-affected areas are scattered throughout the nation, and it is difficult to compare the severity of damages. The National Assembly should also discuss ways to make the criteria for declaring special disaster areas more realistic so that disaster victims receive substantial damage recovery support.

Third, we recommend expediting the compilation of the fourth supplementary budget for flood recovery. Amid the prolonged COVID-19 crisis and resulting economic downturn, residents have lost their livelihoods entirely. They are experiencing not merely double hardship but triple hardship. Institutional improvements and national flood recovery and facility rehabilitation cannot be avoided on grounds of fiscal soundness so as to provide realistic compensation for disaster damages. This is urgent.

Now is the time for the government, political circles, and local governments across the nation to demonstrate through action that we can overcome this disaster with one unified heart. The hearts of residents mired in despair and frustration cannot be comforted by mere words.

The Association of Mayors and Governors of Korea will join with basic local governments throughout the nation to heal regional pain and overcome this crisis together so that heavy rain damage can be recovered as quickly as possible.

August 11, 2020

Association of Mayors, Governors, and Heads of Autonomous Gu Districts of Korea