[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Seo Dong-young] The seeds of hope have grown thanks to the citizens of Suwon who reached out to help local governments across the nation that suffered casualties and property damage due to heavy rain during this summer's prolonged monsoon season lasting over 50 days.
On the afternoon of the 20th of last month, the leadership of the Residents Autonomous Committee Leaders Council, representing the Suwon Residents Autonomous Committees, visited Yeonggwang County, South Jeolla Province, which was declared a special disaster area. They delivered essential goods worth 5 million won, including ramyeon noodles, prepared rice, seaweed, and bottled water.
Han Chang-seok, president of the Residents Autonomous Committee Leaders Council who visited the site, said, "I hope the relief supplies we have delivered will be of some help to the flood victims' daily lives and enable prompt completion of the flood recovery," conveying the sentiments of the Suwon residents' autonomous committee leaders.
Suwon Mayor Yom Tae-young, who also participated in the delivery ceremony, offered consolation to the flood-affected areas.
Mayor Yom Tae-young stated, "I hope the sincerity of citizens who came together with hearts of shared suffering to overcome disasters will be conveyed as consolation to the affected areas," and added, "The government, political circles, and local governments must make efforts to overcome the disaster promptly as one."
At around the same time, 40 million won worth of relief supplies sponsored by the Jangan Love Development Association and the Young-hwa-dong Organizations Leaders Council arrived in Hadong County, Gyeongnam. The essential goods that traveled south for five hours were delivered to residents of Hadong County, which was declared a special disaster area. On the same day, at Songho National Tourism Site in Yeongdong County, Chungcheongbuk Province, Suwon city volunteers carried out meal service volunteering. Sixteen volunteer participants including People Making Love, Sharing Love Dandelions, and the Suwon Air Force Veterans Association Volunteer Group departed from Suwon at 4 a.m. on the 18th and provided meal service for the third day. With support from the Korea Volunteer Centers Association and IBK Corporate Bank, 300 lunchboxes were prepared daily, becoming an energy source for damage recovery. Thanks to this, approximately 300 people, including flood victims who had difficulty having lunch and soldiers deployed for damage recovery, were able to have a warm meal.
Since early August when damage from the prolonged monsoon continued, Suwon City has been supporting local governments nationwide. Along with neighbors within Gyeonggi Province such as Anseong, Yongin, and Icheon, support goods and volunteer efforts were sent to all eight provinces including Cheorwon in Gangwon Province; Chungju, Jecheon, Yeongdong, Eumseong, and Danyang in Chungcheongbuk Province; Cheonan, Asan, and Yesan in Chungcheongnam Province; Namwon, Wanju, and Jeonju in Jeonbuk Province; Gurye, Hwasun, Damyang, Gokseong, Naju, Hampyeong, Yeonggwang, and Jangseong in Jeonnam Province; and Hadong and Hapcheon in Gyeongnam.
Beginning with support of rubber boots and bottled water to Cheonan, Asan, and Yesan in South Chungcheong Province on August 7 when the monsoon was at its peak, support continued for three weeks with over 30 instances of assistance regardless of weekdays or weekends. Support items were primarily essentials including toilet paper, bottled water, prepared rice, ramyeon noodles, and electric heating pads. Over three weeks, the total support provided by Suwon City and its citizens to locations across the nation reached 99 million won.
In the early stages of the flooding, volunteer work shone as well. Suwon City organized a 'Professional Disaster and Disaster Relief Volunteer Corps' composed of 45 organizations and volunteers across 11 fields including rescue operations, medical services, house repairs, traffic assistance, and flood victim relief, and was prepared to deploy them to flood recovery sites. On the 9th, the volunteer corps rushed to Anseong City to lend a hand where flood victims needed it most. Additionally, on the 13th, residents of Yulcheon-dong who provided heavy equipment such as mini excavators worked to restore the devastated sites in Jecheon City, Chungcheongbuk Province to normalcy. However, due to the rapid spread of COVID-19, the disaster relief volunteer corps had to reduce its scope of activities.
In particular, Suwon City's meal service truck played an important role as a reliable source of warm meals for flood victims. In affected areas where water shortages made it difficult to cook, even restaurants ceased operations. There was a need to provide breakfast and dinner for flood victims, as well as volunteers and soldiers deployed to assist. The meal service truck that arrived in Gurye County, South Jeolla Province on the 11th-12th when even markets were submerged and it was difficult to obtain food materials, comforted the hungry stomachs and hearts of 900 flood victims with boxed meals.
Residents who witnessed Suwon City's meal service truck, which mobilized refrigerated vehicles to transport ingredients and carefully prepared individual lunchboxes, thanked the volunteers working silently and pitched in to help themselves.
Such active flood recovery support was made possible through the voluntary participation of the Suwon Volunteer Center, government agencies and private organizations within the region, and resident organizations such as the Residents Autonomous Committees of each dong in Suwon.
Private organizations and institutions including the Suwon Saemaul Movement Association, Ajou University's Graduate School of Public Policy and Alumni Association, the Suwon City Council of the Democratic Peace Unification Advisory Council, Ajou University Hospital, The More Love Church, the Gyeonggi Regional Headquarters of the Korea Electrical Safety Corporation, Suwon Women Leaders Association, Gyeonggi Renaissance Forum, and Suwon Childcare Facility Council delivered donations and goods with one heart.
Furthermore, organizations such as the Yulcheon-dong Organizations Leaders Council, Yeongdong Development Alliance of Yeongdong-gu, Gwonseon Love Federation, Paldal Federation, Hwaseo 2-dong Residents Autonomous Committee, Pajang-dong Organizations Leaders Council and Heads of Neighborhood Councils, Haengung-dong Heads of Neighborhood Councils, Imok-dong Love for Hometown Association, and the Jangan-gu Residents Autonomous Committee Leaders Council generously contributed funds for providing essential goods to flood-affected areas.
On the 28th, the Living Improvement Suwon City Federation, an organization of female farmers, also delivered materials for flood damage recovery, and as support from Suwon citizens continues, Suwon City and the Suwon Volunteer Center plan to find areas in need and make connections.
A Suwon City official stated, "While volunteering activities at recovery sites may be difficult due to the spread of COVID-19, as sharing for affected areas from Suwon citizens and organizations continues, ongoing support for recovery is expected in the future."