Rainy season in full swing… Government “Minimize damage through thorough advance preparation and preemptive response”

The government is taking steps to minimize damage through thorough preparation and preemptive response ahead of the full-scale rainy season and heat wave.

Prime Minister Han Deok-soo emphasized at the 115th Central Safety Management Committee and Central Local Safety Inspection Meeting on the 28th, “As the rainy season begins in earnest, the government and local governments must be especially alert and prepare preemptively.”

In particular, he instructed, “In addition to areas prone to frequent landslides or flooding, we must carefully check to see if there are any blind spots that are not included in the management scope,” and “If a dangerous situation is anticipated, we must ensure advance evacuation and control, and actively implement evacuation orders and mandatory evacuation measures.”

Accordingly, the government plans to intensively manage the three major types of casualties, including landslides, river disasters, and underground flooding, in preparation for storms and floods such as heavy rain and typhoons, and respond with all its might to minimize casualties.

In addition, cooling expenses will be supported for households and vulnerable facilities vulnerable to heat waves, cooling expenses and electricity bills will be reduced for socially and economically vulnerable groups, and the amount of cooling expenses for senior centers nationwide will also be increased from 115,000 won to 175,000 won.

Meanwhile, it was decided to subdivide the transmission area for disaster texts sent when an earthquake occurs from metropolitan cities and provinces to city, county, and district levels.

◆ Status of summer natural disaster countermeasures

The government has been operating a summer natural disaster response period since May 15, centered around the Ministry of Public Safety and Security.

In addition, in accordance with the comprehensive plan for summer natural disasters confirmed at the Prime Minister’s meeting of government affairs related ministers on the 16th of the same month, related ministries and local governments have been making efforts to prepare for disasters such as facility inspection and reinforcement, and education and training assuming actual combat.

Above all, under the recognition that establishing a government-wide collaboration system is a priority in order to effectively respond to natural disasters in the summer, we gathered our capabilities to minimize casualties by holding disaster safety inspection meetings in the summer before the rainy season and public relations consultations between related ministries.

In order to strengthen the on-site operability of disaster response, we will provide a key checklist for local government heads to inspect and confirm at disaster sites, operate a group communication room between the Director of the Disaster and Safety Management Headquarters of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and provincial and municipal heads, and actively promote group training for heads of basic local governments.

In particular, areas and facilities vulnerable to landslides, such as areas at risk of slope collapse before the rainy season, forest roads and forest damage recovery areas around private houses, and mountain solar power facilities, were inspected, and damage prevention measures will be continuously inspected and managed for Tohamsan Mountain in Gyeongju, where the risk of landslides was recently confirmed.

In relation to river disasters, we proactively prevent river disasters by inspecting vulnerable areas such as river facilities, construction sites, and accident areas, strengthening river maintenance, and promoting flood warning navigation guidance.

For the underground passages where many casualties have recently occurred, we have designated on-site personnel for each underground passage and are working with the Electric Safety Corporation to conduct inspections of underground passage electrical equipment, thereby taking every precaution to ensure safety.

In addition, we decided to actively promote the production and distribution of videos containing realistic disaster situations and to improve the national action guidelines for natural disasters in the summer to make them easier and more concise so that the public can be alert to disasters and respond quickly in dangerous situations.

Meanwhile, since the first heat wave warning of the year was issued on June 10, we plan to do our utmost to manage the situation with relevant organizations and local governments to minimize damage caused by heat waves and to periodically inspect whether heat wave measures are working properly on site.

First, to protect farmers and fishermen who are vulnerable to heat waves, safety education and surveillance activities will be strengthened, and safety rules will be observed by workers at construction sites and other sites.

We will install heat reduction facilities such as shade shelters, operate 61,000 heat shelters nationwide, monitor the occurrence of heat-related illnesses, and, when patients occur, transport them to the 119 heat wave rescue team, implementing life-oriented measures.

Major broadcasters, government and private media will be used to promote national action tips to prepare for heat waves, and a campaign to call parents to say hello in case of a heat wave warning and a three-three-week campaign will also be implemented.

◆ Status of natural disaster response by local government

Gyeongsangbuk-do Province completed the maintenance of 5,452 landslide-prone areas and 1,807 landslide shelters, and updated the contact information of 3,777 residents living near landslide-prone areas to prepare for landslides.

In addition, two provincial-led evacuation drills and 30 on-site landslide prevention education sessions per year were conducted for residents of landslide-prone areas in 22 cities and counties.

The landslide response situation room, which has been operating as an emergency duty system since May 15, will operate until October 15 and will intensively inspect and manage landslide-prone areas through the landslide site prevention team.

In particular, the restoration project for landslide-damaged areas in 2023, which is currently 95% complete, will be completed by August, and major structures will be completed in preparation for the rainy season before completion.

The number of landslide-prone areas, currently at 5,452, will be expanded to 6,000 by the end of the year, and forest safety assessments will be conducted in Yeongju, Mungyeong, Yecheon, and Bonghwa to strengthen landslide damage prevention.

In order to support the evacuation of vulnerable groups in the event of landslides, Smart Village Broadcasting, which provides text and voice messages through smartphones, will also be expanded from the current 12 cities and counties to 15 cities and counties.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to focus on safety measures for semi-basement housing, underground passageways, subway stations, underground shopping malls, and underground parking lots of apartment complexes that are at high risk of flooding until October 15.

Accordingly, in order to prevent and prepare for underground flood damage, flood prevention facilities will be installed in 15,242 out of 24,842 semi-basement houses vulnerable to flooding, and flood response facilities will be installed in 165 underground passageways within the district.

For subway station entrances and exits, water level indicators were installed at 1,953 of 1,973 locations, and canopies were installed at 1,266 of 1,652 locations.

To respond to damage in the event of flooding, 2,956 companion partners were designated for 1,196 disaster-vulnerable households, and 1,146 places, including schools, senior centers, and government offices, were designated as temporary housing facilities for victims.

In addition, when the underground car is flooded, it is possible to control the road immediately by quickly disseminating the situation and sharing the situation in real time between the situation room. Even when the subway station is flooded, it is possible to quickly spread the situation and initiate life rescue and secure alternative means of transportation such as buses. .

Until last May, we supported the joint inspection of external experts for 25 underground shopping malls and the inspection of disaster management resources for each shopping mall, as well as the installation of water barriers in the underground parking lots of 147 apartment complexes at risk of flooding.

Meanwhile, Ulsan City is operating a heat wave response period until September 30 to prevent heat wave damage. It is operating a task force and disaster safety response headquarters for rapid response and is utilizing 12 medical institutions to prepare for emergency situations.

In addition to 961 heat shelters, 8 conscience parasol rental centers are operated at major tourist attractions and parks, and heat wave reduction facilities and smart shelters, including shade facilities that are closely related to the daily lives of residents, have been expanded to 741 and 16, respectively, compared to the previous year. Operate.

We are also making every effort to protect vulnerable groups from heat waves. 6,175 disaster helpers check on the welfare of vulnerable groups through phone calls and home visits, and provide 166 million won in cooling expenses to low-income elderly households headed by households.

For workers, 15 million won was provided to provide safety education and supplies such as cooling vests at outdoor construction sites, and surveillance was also strengthened to protect the elderly working in rice paddies and fields. 2,043 cooling appliances were also provided to low-income families vulnerable to heat waves.

In addition, 210 million won of livestock accident insurance and 160 million won of livestock disaster prevention equipment during hot weather will be provided to the agricultural and livestock industries, and 87 million won of facility costs such as oxygen generators and underwater pumps will be provided to the fishing industry to respond to abnormal water temperatures.

◆ Progress status of comprehensive national security system reform plan

At the meeting on this day, the Ministry of Public Administration and Security reported the first half of the year and the second half of the plan for the comprehensive plan to reform the national safety system for disaster safety system innovation and the climate crisis disaster response innovation plan to respond to the climate crisis.

The major changes achieved through the implementation of comprehensive measures include the revision of the Disaster and Safety Act to expand the safety management obligations of local government heads to events with unclear organizers.

In addition, it specified mass gathering accidents as a type of social disaster and made it mandatory for the police to report to local government heads and fire station chiefs when they become aware of a disaster situation.

The crowd management support system has been operating in 100 locations nationwide since December of last year, and as of March of this year, 124 local governments are operating 24-hour situation rooms by promoting the expansion of city, county, and district disaster and safety situation rooms.

In particular, to strengthen inter-agency cooperation in the event of a disaster, mutual cooperation officers were placed in the police-firefighting situation room, inter-agency dispatch information vehicles and contact information were provided via text message, and on-site dispatch was made mandatory when a joint response between agencies is requested.

Meanwhile, in the first half of this year, efforts were made to strengthen field operability by expanding and focusing on the comprehensive plan tasks introduced last year and climate crisis preparation tasks.

Accordingly, the number of town/village/district safety councils was increased by 10 to 40, and incentives such as the introduction of civil servant allowances in the disaster safety field were strengthened to enhance on-site disaster response capabilities.

In order to systematically manage patients in the event of a disaster, the 119 emergency smart system was expanded nationwide and, in January, a standby allowance for the disaster medical support team was established to support rapid dispatch.

For safety management of hazardous slopes, the digital slope integrated landslide information system was reorganized and landslide prediction information was strengthened.

In order to prevent casualties in underground passages, new flood control standards have been established, and the target for installing flood-risk underground passageway entry blocking facilities is being expanded and the number of facilities is being rapidly increased from 134 to 285.

To prevent and respond to river disasters and urban flooding, we operated an urban flooding smart response system and introduced artificial intelligence-based flood forecasting. Starting in July, we will also implement an automatic emergency text message service for flooding situations in underground roads using IoT sensors. do.

In the second half of the year, by December, we plan to expand seismic observatories by region, develop an earthquake site warning system tailored to the characteristics of each institution, integrate drought information management, provide marine safety information GIS services to the public, and establish an integrated safety reporting system.

◆ Earthquake disaster text message improvement plan

At this meeting, measures to improve earthquake disaster text were also reported.

According to this plan, the Korea Meteorological Administration has decided to improve the standards for sending earthquake disaster text messages from the size of the disaster to the intensity-based ones starting in October, with the aim of ensuring safety from earthquake disasters and minimizing anxiety.

First, the earthquake target for nationwide transmission of emergency disaster text messages is raised from regional magnitude 4.0 or higher (sea area magnitude 4.5 or higher) to magnitude 5.0 or higher (same region and sea area), and text messages are delivered to areas with a high probability of earthquake damage.

In addition, the criteria for sending disaster text messages will be changed from the current specific radius (50 km or 80 km from the earthquake site) to a specific intensity (expected intensity or instrumental intensity II) to more accurately reflect the actual impact range of the earthquake.

In particular, the concept of intensity will be applied to the standards for sending disaster text messages for earthquakes with a magnitude of less than 5.0, so that citizens can receive disaster text messages that match the earthquake they feel.

For earthquakes with a magnitude of 3.5 or higher but less than 5.0, an emergency disaster text message is sent unconditionally. If the maximum expected intensity is V or higher, an emergency disaster text message is sent, and if it is IV or lower, a safety guidance text message is sent.

Disaster text messages that were sent only when the magnitude was 3.0 or higher are sent as safety information texts if the maximum instrument seismic intensity is Ⅲ or higher even if the magnitude is 2.0 or higher.

In addition, in order to prevent citizens from feeling anxious because they do not receive earthquake disaster text messages, we plan to send safety information letters to cities, counties, and districts that fall under instrument seismic intensity Ⅱ or higher when an overseas earthquake is analyzed as the maximum seismic intensity Ⅲ or higher in Korea.

Live Water level video at major locations, from the Hangang Flood Control Center in Seocho-gu, Seoul.

Prime Minister Han, who chaired the meeting that day, said, “A disaster does not tolerate a moment of carelessness or negligence,” and asked, “Local governments on the front lines of resident safety should perform safety work with a sense of tension and responsibility, and citizens should also have the mindset of protecting their own safety, and actively cooperate with requests from the authorities, such as evacuation orders, in the event of an emergency.”

In addition, he said, “We pray for the soul of the deceased who died in a factory fire in Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do. We will do our best to resolve the accident and provide support to the victims, and speed up the preparation of comprehensive measures to prevent recurrence.”

Inquiry (general): Office for Government Policy Coordination, Safety and Environment Policy Office (044-200-2342), Ministry of Public Administration and Security Safety Policy General Division (044-205-4123)