Restoration work is underway at a village in Yecheon, 161 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on July 17, 2023, where about 30 residents were killed or unaccounted for following massive landslides triggered by torrential rain. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, July 22 (Korea Bizwire) — The government raised its disaster readiness alert level up a notch Saturday, as the nation, still reeling from the aftermath of catastrophic torrential rains last week, braces for more heavy downpours in the coming days.
According to the interior ministry, the disaster alert level for the central government’s Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCH) was raised a notch to level 2 from level 1 as of 9 p.m.
The Korea Meteorological Administration forecast rainfall of 50-120 millimeters in the greater Seoul region until Monday. Most other regions across the country area also expecting significant amounts of rain.
The ministry said current conditions technically did not meet the standards for a level 2 alert but authorities decided to elevate the level due to the high amount of rain expected in the Seoul metropolitan area raising concerns of damage.
Last week’s heavy downpours that battered the nation have left over 8,000 public and private properties damaged across the nation, including swept-away roads and river embankments, and flooded houses.
The downpours had damaged 6,064 public facilities and 2,470 private properties as of 6 p.m., according to the CDSCH.
Of damaged private properties, 53.5 percent had been recovered through emergency restoration works while 61.6 percent of public properties were restored.
In particular, 1,368 homes had been inundated with 83 others destroyed in the aftermath of the downpours.
Some 34,353 hectares of farmland, more than half the size of Seoul, had been flooded, while 825,000 livestock, including chickens and ducks, had been killed.
Across the country, 1,950 people had remained displaced, staying at relatives’ houses or shelters set up at senior centers, village halls or schools as of 6 p.m.
The torrential rains had left 47 people dead, while three others remain missing nationwide as of Saturday evening.
(Yonhap)
