Governor Kim Dong-yeon Issues Special Directive: 'Over-Response is the Principle in Disaster Response'

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Kim Gapdong] As heavy rain accompanied by lightning and strong winds is expected across the province from 6 a.m. on the 13th through the afternoon of the 14th, Gyeonggi Province is entering full-fledged response by declaring Emergency Level 1 of its Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters as of 6 a.m. on the 13th.

Governor Kim Dong-yeon of Gyeonggi Province stated, "Heavy rainfall is expected from the evening of the 13th through the morning of the 14th, raising concerns about damages," and issued a special directive saying, "Respond to disasters on the principle of over-response."

On the 12th, Governor Kim, through official correspondence, instructed officials to △secure on-site response capabilities through preemptive situation assessment meetings led by deputy heads of municipal governments and support systems for eup, myeon, and dong units △conduct maintenance work and surveillance and inspections to prevent secondary damages in areas hit by heavy rain in July △ensure the safety of vacationers through emergency disaster text messages, village broadcasts, and disaster alert systems △conduct check-in calls for priority evacuation targets such as semi-basement residences and landslide-prone areas and recommend pre-evacuation before sunset △confirm underground underpasses through dedicated personnel and implement traffic control before dangerous situations occur.

Emergency Level 1 operates with the Head of the Natural Disaster Countermeasures Team as overall situation manager, with a total of 35 personnel including 23 government officials from flood and wind-related departments such as Forest and Greenbelt Division, Road Safety Division, and River Division, and 12 personnel from key department situation rooms. They monitor rainfall situations in each city and county and provide support when damages occur.

Regarding this heavy rain, during the vulnerable time period when rainfall is concentrated (evening of the 13th through morning of the 14th), Gyeonggi Province plans to implement intensive management of vulnerable facilities together with cities and counties, including △immediately controlling underground underpass flooding during rush hours, guiding entry restrictions to flooded areas △blocking access roads such as riverside walking paths and strengthening surveillance activities △implementing resident evacuation in cooperation with police and firefighting services upon warning signs such as flood advisories △verifying emergency contact systems for priority evacuation targets in landslide-prone areas and recommending pre-evacuation before sunset when necessary.

A Gyeonggi Province official stated, "We request that residents using camping sites, campgrounds, and valleys preemptively evacuate from dangerous areas when weather warnings are issued, and immediately evacuate to safe places when heavy rain occurs. We appreciate your active cooperation with pre-evacuation requests and on-site traffic control."