Battling Korea's Heavy Rains
Via. Unsplash
Torrential rainstorms have emerged as a force that can no longer be ignored. Although on-and-off rain is a common appearance during the summer, torrential rain has increased steadily throughout the past few years. However, this year’s rains have been unlike any other before. As a result, the rains have caused devastating effects on all of Korea’s citizens. They have caused loss of lives, damaged infrastructure, and despair for thousands of people.
For the first time in decades, these deadly monsoons have caused the death count to reach double digits. Although the death rate is yet to be confirmed, there have been at least 40 confirmed deaths due to the severe rains that caused flooding and landslides.
The rain caused tunnels to flood, trapping people in their vehicles. In particular, a tunnel in the central city of Cheongju caused the deaths of at least 13 people. Divers were deployed to search the tunnel in hopes of finding survivors.
Heavy landslides were yet another consequence that caused the loss of lives. A landslide in North Gyeongsang swept away entire houses, causing the deaths of at least 19 people.
Not only did the landslides cause devastation to families, but they also caused great harm to the homes of people. As expected, the harsh rain destroyed almost anything in its path. The pressure from the floods and the landslides caused buckled roads, swamped roads, and destroyed homes. Semi-basement homes, which are common throughout South Korea, were all flooded without a thought.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety claims that hundreds of homes and roads were destroyed beyond repair. Additionally, hundreds of thousands of families were without electricity for days, leaving them devastated and without basic necessities throughout the duration of the rain.
Countless vehicles - including a bus - were swept away by the force of the flood, which caused panic and terror among the citizens.
As expected, countless people were injured and forced to evacuate. As of now, over 6,000 people have been forced to evacuate from their homes from the torrential rain. Most are finding safety in temporary shelters until this issue is resolved.
“I never believed that my home could be destroyed in a blink of an eye,” a young teenager who had to evacuate from her home.
Seeing this, President Yoon Seok Yeol immediately issued a meeting to mobilize all available resources to resolve the disaster. As a result, nearly 900 rescue workers were spread throughout the provinces that required the most attention, and over 10,000 police workers were sent out for patrol and traffic duty. Divers were sent out to scavenge the floods until the water could be drained out, rescue workers searched through the landslides to drag and treat as many survivors as they could, and firefighters used all the resources they could to pump out all the water that had been flooding around the country.
Due to these disasters, citizens have started to criticize the local authorities for not taking extra precautions to make sure their area was safe. Although The Korea Meteorological Administration deployed heavy rain warnings throughout the country, local authorities failed to close down tunnels, as well as take extra care to make sure the people were safe. Citizens claim that the city halls, who are responsible for taking care of these issues, haven’t been taking the necessary steps to ensure their safety.
Therefore, President Yoon Seok Yeol vowed to make changes to how the country will manage environmental disasters going forward. As of now, President Yoon has sent military and rescue forces to help with the aftermath of the past weeks’ destruction.
South Korea may have even more concerns about the matter at hand. With other countries such as North Korea also facing the rain, officials must be thoroughly prepared for North Korea opening the dams around the border. Such a release could cause even more casualties than South Korea has already suffered.
In conclusion, with climate change happening, it is more than likely that harsh weather conditions will continue to arise throughout the years. The rain has caused damage for all Korean citizens and will continue to do so. Therefore, the government will have no choice but to deal with the fact that they must be able to prepare for these disasters before they appear and before anyone has to face these terrors again. With these efforts, Korea will be able to adapt and create a more sustainable future for its people and generations to come.