Governor Kim Dong-yeon Inspects Gapyeong Disaster Recovery Site from Last Year's Flooding..."This Recovery Must Serve as Preventive Measure"
[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Kim Gap-dong] On the 17th, Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon visited the disaster recovery project site at Sibitalcheon in Yeonha-ri, Sangmyeon, Gapyeong County to directly inspect the progress and encourage field personnel.
The disaster recovery site visited by Governor Kim that day was at Sibitalcheon, where embankments and roads were swept away and bridges collapsed due to heavy downpours in July of last year. The inspection was arranged to thoroughly verify the recovery situation from the heavy rain damage and prevent additional damage from the approaching monsoon season.
Governor Kim Dong-yeon said, "Before my term ends, I came to Gapyeong, which suffered the most damage from heavy rain last year, to urge that the restoration be completed properly." He added, "There were many disaster victims last year, and I felt deeply sorry for them. Please ensure that this recovery serves as a preventive measure and proceed safely without any setbacks."
Currently, a total budget of 258.1 billion won, including 202 billion won in national funds and 27.4 billion won in provincial funds, has been invested in the disaster recovery projects at Sibitalcheon and throughout Gapyeong County. The province has completed full payment of 14.1 billion won in disaster relief funds due to damaged homes. Additionally, recovery work has been carried out at a total of 329 public facilities, including 111 locations along rivers and 81 forest areas, with 323 sites—98.2% of the total—completed by June 15th. For six long-term improvement and recovery projects, plans are in place to complete all preliminary measures for vulnerable areas, including water-impact zones susceptible to damage, before the rainy season.
Structural and non-structural management measures for a safe rainy season are being implemented comprehensively. The province completed dredging of rivers in Gapyeong in May and newly replaced 2,740 sandbags to complete maintenance of seven structurally vulnerable areas by the end of June. As a non-structural measure, approximately 1,600 CCTV cameras will be utilized for continuous 24-hour field monitoring without gaps. A system has been established to rapidly disseminate relevant information to residents through social media and early warning facilities when crisis situations occur.
The province is committed to making all-out efforts to thoroughly manage construction schedules and expand safety networks at disaster recovery project sites across the province in preparation for localized intensive rainfall that has become more frequent due to climate change. By establishing close cooperation systems with cities and counties, the province will continue field-intensive inspections to ensure that not a single safety accident or additional damage occurs. Above all, the province plans to concentrate all administrative resources to prevent even one casualty by thoroughly preparing resident evacuation plans and other measures to prevent re-damage.
Meanwhile, after the field inspection, Governor Kim moved to the Umokgol village community center in Jojong-myeon to participate in a volunteer agricultural work program with Gyeonggi Province civil servants. He bagged grape bunches at farms affected by flooding last year to wish the farmers a good harvest and to encourage farms struggling with labor shortages during the busy farming season.