Three Cities and Counties Including Icheon Designated as Special Disaster Areas, Along with Five Townships in Yongin

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hoon] Icheon City, Gapyeong County, Yeoncheon County, and Wonsam and Baekam townships in Yongin, Idong and Yeongbuk townships in Pocheon, and Danwol township in Yangpyeong, which suffered extensive damage from recent heavy rainfall, have been designated as special disaster areas.

According to Gyeonggi Province on the 25th, the Ministry of Interior and Safety conducted a "joint central and provincial disaster damage investigation" from the 13th to the 23rd and conducted detailed investigations at the eup·myeon·dong level of damaged areas that were excluded from initial designation, additionally designating three cities and counties and five townships in the province as special disaster areas on the 24th.

Earlier, the Ministry of Interior and Safety initially designated Anseong City as a special disaster area on the 7th due to severe heavy rain damage.

According to the investigation results, the damage amounts are as follows: Icheon City 16.6 billion won, Gapyeong County 15.2 billion won, Yeoncheon County 29.2 billion won, Wonsam township in Yongin 2.5 billion won and Baekam township 2.6 billion won, Idong township in Pocheon 0.8 billion won and Yeongbuk township 1.1 billion won, and Danwol township in Yangpyeong 2.9 billion won.

Areas designated as special disaster areas will receive additional national treasury support for a portion of the local financial burden of recovery costs. Residents whose homes or primary livelihoods such as agriculture and fisheries have been damaged will receive disaster support funds for livelihood aid, as well as additional benefits including electricity rate reductions and various other public utility rate reductions.

Kim Dae-soon, director of the Gyeonggi Province Safety Management Office, said, "We will do our best together with relevant provincial departments and cities and counties to ensure swift recovery not only for the special disaster areas designated this time but also for disaster-affected areas that have been devastated by serious flood damage."