Residents displaced by landslides and flooding in Geoje, South Gyeongsang, gather at a temporary shelter set up in a school cafeteria in the city on Aug. 17.YONHAP
GEOJE, TONGYEONG, SOUTH GYEONGSANG — Hundreds of people displaced by record-breaking downpours in Geoje and Tongyeong of South Gyeongsang remained unable to return home for a second day on Tuesday, as authorities continued recovery efforts.
A total of 498 people from 274 households in Geoje and Tongyeong evacuated to nearby community centers, village halls, senior centers, schools and accommodations Monday due to the heavy rain, the South Gyeongsang provincial government said Tuesday.
As of Tuesday morning, 245 people from 145 households remained in these temporary shelters.
More than half of those still unable to return home — 140 people from 61 households — are residents of two apartment complexes in Okpo-dong, Geoje, and are staying away due to the risk of further landslides. A landslide sent earth and debris down a hill behind the apartment complexes Monday, leaving a man in his 20s dead and two others injured, including a woman in her 50s who suffered a broken arm.
Local authorities distributed food, including instant noodles, and relief supplies such as blankets to residents staying at shelters.
Homes and parking lots across Geoje and Tongyeong have been flooded, with some structures collapsing.
In Geoje, 51 apartment complexes were damaged by flooding or an influx of earth and debris. In Tongyeong, soil erosion caused one home to tilt by about 20 degrees.
Preliminary figures showed damage to 365 hectares (902 acres) of farmland and two land-based aquaculture facilities. Five national heritage sites, including the Historic Site Related to Yi Sun-sin on Hansando Island in Tongyeong, suffered damage.
Floodwater is drained through fire truck hoses outside a building in Gohyeon-dong, Geoje, South Gyeongsang, on Aug. 18.GYEONGSANGNAM-DO FIRE DEPARTMENT
Power, communications and water outages were also reported.
Electricity and communications were cut at 1,656 households in Jangseungpo-dong, Gohyeon-dong and Yeoncho-myeon in Geoje. Another 768 households in Sanyang-eup and Hansan-myeon in Tongyeong lost power.
So far, service has been restored at only 500 households in Geoje and 396 households in Tongyeong.
In Geoje, 4,177 households in Dundeok-myeon, Geoje-myeon, Dongbu-myeon, Jangseungpo-dong and Jangmok-myeon lost water service due to damaged water pipes and other causes. Another 630 households in Hansan-myeon, Tongyeong, were also without water.
A firefighter carries out drainage work at a restaurant in Geoje, South Gyeongsang, on Aug. 18.GYEONGSANGNAM-DO FIRE DEPARTMENT
Educational facilities in Geoje and Tongyeong reported 41 cases of rain damage including 25 cases of flooding, nine leaks and seven cases of damage or washouts, the Gyeongsangnam-do Office of Education said. The affected facilities included 10 kindergartens, 19 elementary schools, eight middle schools, three high schools and one special education school.
Eight schools adjusted the operation of care programs and other services, while two schools closed temporarily.
About 200 soldiers were also deployed to Geoje and Tongyeong on Tuesday to assist with recovery efforts. South Gyeongsang deployed more than 3,000 government officials, police officers, firefighters and volunteers as well as more than 250 pieces of equipment, including excavators, for recovery work Monday. Fire and forestry authorities are also carrying out drainage work in flooded urban areas.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety is providing the province with 2 billion won ($1.42 million) in special grants for emergency recovery from the heavy rain. The provincial government plans to use the funds for emergency repairs to roads, rivers, water and sewage systems and homes as well as assistance for displaced residents.
Firefighters inspect mud and flood damage inside an underground parking lot in Geoje, South Gyeongsang, on Aug. 18.GYEONGSANGNAM-DO FIRE DEPARTMENT
Geoje received 654.3 millimeters (25.8 inches) of rain Monday, the highest daily rainfall recorded there since weather observations began in 1972. Only two locations in Korea have recorded higher daily rainfall totals: Gangneung, Gangwon, with 870.5 millimeters, and Daegwallyeong-myeon in Pyeongchang, Gangwon, with 712.5 millimeters. Both happened when Typhoon Rusa made landfall in August 2002.
The Korea Meteorological Administration assessed Geoje's rainfall as an extreme event that would happen only about once every 200 years. Geoje's cumulative rainfall from Saturday through Monday has exceeded 900 millimeters, nearly as much as the area's usual total summer rainfall of 935.1 millimeters, an average that was measured between 1991 to 2020.
Neighboring Tongyeong also set a record for hourly rainfall after receiving 97.4 millimeters in one hour. Its daily rainfall of 453.7 millimeters was also the highest since observations began.
BY AHN DAE-HUN [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
