Yongin City Strengthens Comprehensive Response to Combat Extreme Heat Damage

[Suwon Ilbo=Park No-hun, Reporter] Yongin City announced on the 28th that it is implementing various extreme heat response measures to prevent citizens from suffering damage due to the continuous hot weather.

The city has designated the period through September 30 as the extreme heat countermeasure period and established a Heat Response Task Force composed of 4 teams and 8 departments including situation management, welfare, health management support, and agricultural and livestock product measures to enable rapid response in case of damage.

Additionally, the city has prepared comprehensive extreme heat response measures with emphasis on expanding heat mitigation facilities, health management for vulnerable groups, and operation of heat relief shelters.

First, the city has deployed 3 water sprinkler trucks since July 1 to cool roadside heat and prevent pavement deformation due to overheating, conducting water spraying from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily across 203km of urban areas.

At 181 crosswalks and traffic islands in high-traffic urban areas, 282 additional shade structures have been installed, and at 2 locations including the crosswalk at Myongji University intersection and the traffic island at Singal intersection, 2 'smart shade structures' that automatically open and close in response to temperature and wind have been installed.

For the health of elderly residents who are particularly vulnerable to extreme heat, 43 indoor heat relief shelters including senior centers have been opened, and outdoor heat relief shelters have been designated and operated, 4 each by district, utilizing park pavilions and pergolas.

Additionally, cooling mats and cooling pillows and other supplies are being provided to 2,720 elderly residents, and autonomous disaster prevention teams are distributing portable fans, arm coolers, and fans to citizens using outdoor heat relief shelters.

When extreme heat warnings are issued, disaster assistance volunteers totaling 1,119 people including 23 health and medical professionals, 246 elderly care workers, 114 civil servants, and 736 autonomous disaster prevention team members are mobilized to provide health check-up calls and home visit health management services.

From 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., when the heat is most severe, surveillance activities are intensified for construction sites, farms, and livestock farms, and measures are taken to prevent casualties through recommendations to observe worker rest time requirements.

For citizens and medical staff who visit screening clinics for COVID-19 testing, the Water Supply Business Division temporarily provides white jade water. Priority has been given to placing 1,000 bottles of white jade water at the Giheung-gu screening clinic and Dongbaek temporary screening test center for public use.

Baek Kun-gi, Mayor of Yongin City, said, “We are implementing various mitigation measures to safely protect citizens from the prolonged extreme heat,” and urged “Citizens to strictly follow national guidelines for extreme heat response.”