Heavy Snow Warnings Issued for 15 Cities in Gyeonggi Province...Provincial Disaster Safety Headquarters Escalates to Emergency Level 3

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Kim Gapdong] As heavy snow warnings took effect at 9:10 a.m. on the 28th for 15 cities in the province including Suwon, Ansan, and Siheung, Gyeonggi Province escalated the emergency level of the Provincial Disaster Safety Headquarters from Level 1 to Level 3 at 9:30 a.m., skipping Level 2.

The 15 cities under heavy snow warnings are Pyeongtaek, Anseong, Icheon, Gwangju, Uiwang, Yongin, Ansan, Siheung, Suwon, Seongnam, Anyang, Osan, Gunpo, Hwaseong, and Yeoju.

This is the first time Emergency Level 3 has been declared approximately two months since the heavy snowfall on November 26 last year.

At Emergency Level 3, the situation management chief is elevated from the natural disaster countermeasures team leader to the natural disaster countermeasures division chief, and personnel from livestock, housing, forestry, and medical-related departments are added to the response team, bringing the total to 37 people responding to the heavy snow situation.

The province will △strengthen snow removal operations on major roads to ensure smooth traffic flow for holiday travelers returning home for Lunar New Year △implement pre-control and evacuation measures in coordination with related agencies (fire and police) when there is a risk of collapse at snow-prone facilities.

The province also noted that many safety accidents occurred during snow removal operations in November's heavy snowfall, and emphasized that snow removal work on roofs and other areas should be carried out △during daytime hours with at least two people working as a team after ensuring safety △with a ban on nighttime snow removal and hazardous work such as climbing on roofs.

Kim Sung-joong, First Vice Governor of Gyeonggi Province, visited the Disaster Safety Situation Room that morning to receive reports on heavy snow response efforts and weather forecasts. He emphasized the importance of pre-evacuation guidance and recommendations for residents of residential vinyl greenhouses in cities and counties with snow accumulation of 20 centimeters or more, as well as swift evacuation in case of collapse risk. He also called for the full mobilization of the province's disaster response capabilities to prevent safety accidents and ensure effective snow removal responses.

Meanwhile, Gyeonggi Province currently has Baetty-ro (Provincial Road 325) stretching approximately 1.6 kilometers from Seoun Mountain Natural Recreation Forest in Anseong City to Baetti Pass, and a section of approximately 3.3 kilometers from the beginning of Jinan-ro hill to Okjeong Pass (Provincial Road 302) under traffic control. The province expects the closures to continue through the morning of the 29th.

At 9:03 p.m. on the 27th, a 12-vehicle pileup accident occurred on the Iksan-Pyeongtaek Expressway (toward Buyeo) in Pyeongtaek City due to slippery snow conditions, resulting in two people sustaining minor injuries.

As of 9 a.m. on the 28th, an average of 10.8 centimeters of snow had fallen in Gyeonggi Province, with the highest accumulation of 21.6 centimeters in Icheon City.