Icheon Mayor Seong Sooseok Activates Emergency Response to Heavy Rain Advisory: "All-Out Effort for Zero Casualties"

Mayor Seong Soo-seok Activates Emergency Flood Response in Icheon

Situation Assessment Meeting Held as Heavy Rain Advisory Issued

All-Out Effort for "Zero Casualties" in Response to Natural Disasters

With forecasts predicting heavy rainfall of up to 50mm per hour and over 150mm of concentrated downpours in southern Gyeonggi Province starting on July 8, the city of Icheon has activated an emergency response system. Mayor Seong Soo-seok personally presided over a situation assessment meeting and directed, "Concentrate all administrative resources so that not a single human casualty occurs."

On the morning of the 8th, Seong Soo-seok, Mayor of Icheon City, held a "Situation Assessment Meeting for Heavy Rain Preparedness from July 8 to 9" at the city's Disaster and Safety Situation Room, thoroughly checking the response system for the heavy rain. Provided by Icheon City

On the morning of July 8, the city of Icheon held the "July 8-9 Rainfall Preparedness Situation Assessment Meeting" at the city hall disaster and safety situation room, chaired by Mayor Seong, to thoroughly review the response posture for the anticipated heavy rain.

Heads of departments from the Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, including the General Safety Division, attended the meeting to share weather forecasts and rainfall scenarios. They comprehensively reviewed the emergency duty operation plan, management of areas at risk of casualties, safety measures for key facilities, and response plans by department.

The Korea Meteorological Administration's Seoul Metropolitan Office has forecasted very heavy rain of 30-50mm per hour centered on southern Gyeonggi Province from July 8 to 9, with some areas possibly experiencing more than 150mm of rainfall. Currently, a heavy rain advisory is in effect for Icheon City.

Accordingly, the city has decided to immediately activate the emergency work system in accordance with the stages of rain advisories and warnings, and to significantly strengthen surveillance and access control in areas at risk of casualties, such as riverside walkways, low-lying areas, steep slopes, and landslide-prone zones.

The city will also re-inspect disaster prevention facilities, including drainage pump stations, stormwater inlets, and sewage pipelines, to ensure they are operating normally. Flood control equipment such as water pumps and submersible pumps will be pre-deployed in areas prone to flooding. Cooperation with related agencies such as the police and fire department will be enhanced to enable a swift initial response in the event of an emergency.

The city has designated underground parking lots in apartment complexes, semi-basement homes, riverside walkways, and farmland—areas that have experienced flooding in the past—as priority management targets. It has focused on preemptive safety measures and resident evacuation systems for these sites. The city also strengthened its collaboration system with towns, townships, and neighborhoods to ensure prompt surveillance, response, and recovery.

During periods of expected heavy rain, the city will deliver real-time weather updates and disaster response guidelines to residents via emergency alert messages, continuously advising them to avoid hazardous areas and follow safety precautions.

Mayor Seong stressed, "Due to the impact of climate change, local heavy rainfall events are becoming more frequent, and even small lapses in attention can lead to significant damage. Strengthen surveillance and control in areas at risk of casualties, and if any signs of danger are detected, take all necessary measures, including evacuating residents, in advance."

He further emphasized, "The top priority in disaster response is to protect the lives and safety of citizens. All departments must share weather information in real time and closely cooperate with related agencies to ensure that not a single casualty occurs by focusing all administrative resources."

Meanwhile, Icheon City plans to continue real-time weather monitoring and maintain a stepwise emergency work system until the early morning of July 9, focusing administrative resources on minimizing damage through continued surveillance of vulnerable areas and safety inspections of facilities.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.