Creating a Disaster-Free Gyeonggi Province

(July 18, 2011)

Provincial government arranges department head meeting at ground zero

Sin, Gyeongan, and Gonjiam streams to be reinforced in preparation for flood damage

– Governor Kim Moon-Soo leads the ‘in-the-field department head conference’ held 14:00 at Jungang-dong Resident Center. (GNews Plus Hwang Jin-Hwan)

The areas that were most effected by the torrential downpours between July 26 and 28 have undergone seventy-eight percent recovery so far. Gyeonggi Province has devised additional solutions such as providing medical assistance and removing debris. The pump facilities for Jincheon Stream at Dongducheon City will be reinforced and building permits around the mountain areas will become harder to obtain according to long-term disaster prevention policies.

The provincial government scheduled an ‘in-the-field department head conference’ lead by Governor Kim Moon-Soo early in the morning of August 2 at the Jungang-dong Residence Center where he announced the above policies. Gyeonggi Province had planned a meeting at the district office, but changed the conference location to Dongducheon at the governor’s request.

The flooding has resulted in thirty-nine casualties (thirty-one dead, eight missing) so far, the inundation of 7,517 homes, and 129 landslides; 11,288 people from 5,104 households had to evacuate their homes.

The emergency recovery rate is at seventy-eight percent so far. Roads, farmlands, factories and markets have been ninety-nine percent restored, but streams (23.7%), landslide areas (55%) and sunken homes (75.4%) still have a long way to go to achieve full recovery.

For four days from July 29 to August 1, civil workers, soldiers, volunteers, policemen, and fire fighters came to the rescue. A force of 112,412 people was mobilized, with each person dedicated to recovery in the damaged areas. The provincial government will continue to dispatch workers until the restoration work is complete.

A government official remarked: “We have utilized KRW 2.3 billion as emergency funds as of July 29. We have sent support to small businesses and plan to reduce taxes for residents in the affected areas. Everything is under control. We will keep dispatching volunteers for medical support and cleanup.”

Most volunteers were dispatched around the cities of Dongducheon and Gwangju, where the damage is worst. Two-hundred and ten professionals will be sent to help the residents re-paper walls, clear floors, set up boilers, and reconnect electricity and phone lines. Gyeonggi Province’s civil workers will start a fund to help those in need.

Medical support will continue until August 7. One-hundred and nine Gyeonggi Province Medical Center personnel were sent to Gwangju, Dongducheon, and Paju, where they cared for five-hundred and eighty-seven patients. The eight-hundred volunteer workers who have worked in the Gwangju and Dongducheon areas since August 2 will receive tetanus vaccination.

The Gwanju City Doctors Association, Dongducheon City Doctors Association, and Hallym University Medical Center dispatched a private medical assistance team of fifteen professionals. They will be working in the Gwangju and Dongducheon areas until the seventh of August. Gwangju, Yangju, Yangcheon, Paju, and four other cities will also be subject to disease control.

An estimated 30,287 tons of debris will be removed as soon as possible. The provincial government has collected forty percent, 12,150 tons, so far, but 18,137 tons still remain to be dealt with. The Gyeonggi Provincial Government will hire one-hundred and forty-five fork cranes and eleven dump trucks in collaboration with the Recycling Association.

– Gyeonggi Province announced plans to futher reinforce the pumping facilities in Dongducheon and tighten regulations on building around the mountain in the future. (G News Plus Hwang Jin-Hwan)

Long term plans to prevent flood damage are underway. The provincial government will allocate KRW 31 billion to reinforcing the Sincheon Stream rain water pumping facility at the request of Dongducheon City. Once construction is complete, all fifteen pumping facilities around Dongducheon will have much higher capacity. The water reserve and machinery will be updated for future safety.

The provincial government also agreed to request an eighty percent of the damage in compensation from the central government’s central disaster response headquarters.

Sin Stream has been identified as the central part of the disaster in Dongducheon. The stream’s width will be expanded from 94 meters to 115 meters to prevent future floods. The provincial government plans to begin expansion work in September this year and for completion before next year’s monsoon.

Gyeongan Stream and Gonjiam Stream were cited as primary sources of the massive damage in Yongin and Gwangju. Songjeong’s pumping facilities will be further enhanced along with the bank at Seohajigu of Gyeongan Streem. The Saeteogyo Bridge, which was washed away during the rain, will also be restored. Gonjiam Stream will be widened for safety purposes.

The chief issues of this year’s torrential rains were landslides. To reduce the vulnerability of mountains to rain, the government will tighten regulations on construction in mountain areas.

The current law says that new construction projects are acceptable as long as the retaining walls and the empty lots dot not exceed a twenty-five degree angle even if beneath a steep slope. According to the new law, the entire lot must be angled at less than twenty-five degrees to prevent the construction of buildings on steep surfaces.

To balance for the short comings of the current law on drainage facilities above the retaining wall, the provincial government will propose establishing criteria for building drainage above the retaining wall and on the sides of mountains to the Forest Service.

The safety of vacation condos will also be examined. Previously, any resident home could be converted to a lodging facility as long as it was registered as a business. New criteria will be applicable for future businesses to ensure the lodger safety.

Governor Kim Moon-Soo said, “We hope the central government listens to our pleas and swiftly responds to the peoples’ needs. Gyeonggi Province’s disasters could have been prevented. Most of them are reoccurring accidents. We hope the government designates Dongducheon as a special disaster area for quick recovery.”

Governor Kim had this to say about Dongducheon’s future: “Completing the National Highway No. 3 bypass and Guri-Pocheon Expressway that runs through Dongducheon is essential.” He encouraged the responsible offices to do their best to improve Dongducheon’s traffic connection.

– GNews Plus News | Nam Gyeong-woo echo2008@kg21.net

http://gnews.gg.go.kr/news/news_detail.asp?number=201108021643452677C048&s_code=C048