Extreme Heat Exposed the Most Vulnerable

Extreme heat struck everyone equally, but the conditions to endure it were different.

According to Suwon City and other sources on the 14th, blackouts have occurred repeatedly across Suwon since the 4th. As power consumption surged due to extreme heat, electrical facilities in various areas could not handle the demand.

On the 4th, blackouts occurred in three apartment complexes in the Jangan-gu area, and on the 5th, in one apartment complex in the Yongtong-gu area. On the 6th, electricity was cut off in multi-family and single-family housing areas in Jangan-gu, and on the 7th, approximately 100 households in the Paldal-gu area experienced blackouts.

The extreme heat laid bare the vulnerability of older residential facilities. A Suwon City official said, "Some older apartment buildings were equipped with facilities suited to power consumption at the time of construction, but currently, the use of air conditioners and various home appliances has increased significantly, causing problems where existing capacity is exceeded." and "Expanding electrical facilities requires substantial costs, making immediate improvements difficult."

Response conditions after blackouts differed depending on housing type.

In apartment complexes, there were management offices and resident representative councils to discuss issues and undertake recovery efforts. Even when blackouts occurred, residents in some complexes could move to common spaces with electricity, such as senior centers or community centers, to escape the heat.

Multi-family and single-family housing areas were different.

On the 6th in the Jangan-gu area, power consumption surged during the extreme heat, causing problems with power lines unable to handle the load. On the 7th in the Paldal-gu area, sparks emerged from a utility pole, cutting off power supply to the entire area.

However, these residential areas lacked a management body to oversee the entire building as apartments do. Moreover, many residents were tenants. In principle, property owners should undertake repairs, but when the process of contacting multiple homeowners to discuss costs and repairs dragged on, residents had to endure the extreme heat without knowing when repairs would be completed. Even when air conditioners and fans stopped due to blackouts, unlike apartments, there were no common spaces within the neighborhood to escape the heat.

Ultimately, Suwon City stepped in. To help residents escape the heat, nearby administrative welfare centers were opened. Some residents actually moved to these locations, and nearby churches were asked to cooperate to allow residents to stay there until repair work was completed.

It was the same extreme heat and blackouts, but the conditions to endure the damage were different.

Those with vehicles could move to other locations with air conditioning. Those with family or relatives nearby could leave their homes temporarily. Collective housing with management bodies had entities to discuss recovery and common spaces to escape the heat. Those without such options had far fewer choices.

Suwon City was particularly concerned about elderly people and people with disabilities who have difficulty moving on their own or have no place to go. A Suwon City official said, "People who have relatives nearby or have vehicles so their families have a place to go are fine." and "I'm worried because truly vulnerable elderly people or those with disabilities sometimes have nowhere to go."

In response, Suwon City activated a 24-hour emergency response system starting the 7th. Emergency personnel were assigned to departments, districts, administrative welfare centers, health centers, and other offices, strengthening on-site response and field inspections of vulnerable populations when damage occurred.

On the 9th, the extreme heat eased. The Korea Meteorological Administration's Metropolitan Area Branch lifted the tropical night warning for Suwon and surrounding Gyeonggi areas at 4 p.m. that day and downgraded the heat wave alert to a heat wave advisory from 6 p.m.. Suwon City also ended its enhanced emergency response system operations.

The blackouts lasting only a few days demonstrated that heat wave damage is not determined solely by temperature.

How old the house is, whether there is a management body for electrical facilities, whether there is space to escape the heat, whether there is a vehicle for transportation, and whether there is family nearby to ask for help all became differences in the capacity to endure extreme heat.

Extreme heat came equally to everyone, but the ability to endure it varied depending on housing, income, infrastructure, and family relationships. The more vulnerable were more vulnerable to extreme heat.

Lee Jae-joon, Mayor of Suwon Special City, said, "We are operating a proactive response system to protect vulnerable populations and ensure field-focused safety management." and "We will carefully examine blind spots where existing systems and management frameworks cannot reach and do our best to ensure citizens can live safe daily lives."