"Prevent Further Damage from Heavy Rain" ... Governor Park Wansu Urges Focus on Rescue and Restoration

Park Wansu, Governor of Gyeongnam Province, ordered a swift and comprehensive response for the prompt restoration of damages and prevention of further harm caused by the heavy rainfall that hit during the Liberation Day holidays from August 15 to August 17.

On August 17, Governor Park visited an apartment complex in Okpodong, Geoje City, where one person was killed in a landslide caused by the heavy rainfall, to examine the circumstances of the incident and assess the damage at the site.

He then visited Okposeongji Middle School, where a shelter had been set up for residents affected by the disaster, to offer his condolences to the evacuees and check if they were experiencing any difficulties in their temporary accommodation.

Photo by Gyeongnam Province - Park Wansu, Governor of Gyeongnam Province (third from the left), is inspecting an apartment site in Okpodo, Geoje City, where human casualties occurred due to a landslide caused by heavy rain.

He also issued a public message to the residents of Gyeongnam Province regarding the heavy rains, expressing his condolences for the deceased, offering comfort to the bereaved families, and wishing the injured a swift recovery.

He pledged, "We will place the utmost priority on the lives and safety of residents, maintain an emergency response system in cooperation with city and county authorities, fire departments, and the police, and concentrate all available resources on evacuation, rescue, and emergency restoration."

He further urged, "The heavy rains have weakened the ground, so please be especially cautious of additional damage such as landslides, soil run-off, and the collapse of retaining and boundary walls. Do not approach high-risk areas such as landslide-prone zones, steep slopes, riversides, or low-lying areas."

Additionally, he advised, "Regularly check disaster alerts sent via text and village broadcasts, and if evacuation is advised, move immediately to the designated shelter."

Gyeongsangnam-do Governor Park Wansu visited Okposeongji Middle School in Geoje City, where an evacuation center for residents affected by the heavy rain was set up, to comfort the victims and check for any inconveniences.
[Photo by Gyeongsangnam-do]

On the same day, Governor Park also attended the "Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Meeting on Heavy Rain Response," held online via video at the Geoje City Hall Situation Room.

At the meeting, he reported on the heavy rain damages and response in Gyeongnam Province and shared updates on countermeasures by each agency.

He stated that Gyeongnam Province received an average of 196 millimeters of rainfall, with particularly heavy precipitation in southern coastal areas like Geoje and Tongyeong, adding that some areas of Geoje recorded a historic downpour of over 840 millimeters.

As a result, there were four casualties in the province—including one death and three injuries—with continuing incidents of road flooding, river overflows, and landslides leading to facility damage, and 165 residents from 125 households had to evacuate.

Governor Park Wansu of Gyeongnam Province is attending the "Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Meeting on Heavy Rain Response," held via video at the Situation Room of Geoje City Hall, sharing the current situation.
Photo by Gyeongnam Province

After delivering this update, Governor Park explained, "To ensure a prompt return to normalcy in the affected areas, we are deploying heavy equipment from the Korea Forest Service and military units primarily to the Geoje and Tongyeong regions, and concentrating the available water pumps in the province to drain flooded areas."

He emphasized, "Even after the rain has stopped, landslides and soil run-off may still occur due to weakened ground, so continuous monitoring and proactive measures are necessary."

Following the central response meeting, Governor Park directed deputy heads of local governments in the province to "personally inspect the heavy rain-affected areas of the southern coast, such as Geoje and Tongyeong, as soon as possible, and quickly mobilize equipment where needed so that people's daily lives can return to normal at the earliest opportunity."

He especially instructed, "If additional equipment is needed in severely affected areas like Geoje, neighboring cities and counties should actively support, and the province should swiftly assess and meet the equipment needs of each city and county, maximizing the mobilization of civilian and military resources."

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