Interior ministry shifts heavy-rain response to recovery

The interior ministry said Friday it will shift its response to August's heavy rains into recovery mode, focusing on emergency repairs and relief for displaced people in South Korea's southern regions.

At 9 a.m., the Ministry of the Interior and Safety ended the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters response regime and activated the Recovery Support Headquarters after rains from Aug. 15 to 18. The ministry said the change will speed emergency repairs to damaged facilities in southern areas including Tongyeong and Geoje, and help displaced residents return to daily life.

Unusually heavy rainfall along the southern coast of South Gyeongsang Province triggered landslides, flooded homes and roads, and forced residents to evacuate. During the Aug. 15-18 rains, Geoje recorded cumulative rainfall of 954.8 millimeters and Tongyeong 763.0 millimeters, with intense rainfall of around 100 millimeters an hour.

Led by the director of the ministry's Disaster Recovery Support Bureau, the headquarters will bring together recovery-support coordination, relief, psychological-support and field teams, as well as an emergency-repair team involving relevant ministries. A central joint team to investigate disaster damage may also be launched, depending on the scale of damage. The headquarters will pursue emergency repairs to private and public facilities and relief efforts for people staying in temporary housing, while working with local governments to speed disaster relief payments for personal and housing damage.

"We will devote all our efforts to field-centered, government-wide support that affected residents can tangibly feel, including swift damage recovery and practical assistance for displaced people, while ensuring the safety of workers during the recovery process," Interior Minister Yoon Ho-joong said.