Interior ministry steps up heat safety in flood zones

The interior ministry said Saturday it will strengthen heat-safety support for 693 people unable to return home after flooding in Geoje and Tongyeong, as recovery crews face renewed hot and humid weather following record downpours.

Between Aug. 15 and 18, record rainfall of 956.1 millimeters hit Geoje and 766.9 millimeters fell in Tongyeong, triggering landslides and flooding homes and roads. Military personnel, civil servants, volunteers and residents have been clearing mud and debris. The ministry said the return of heat with high humidity has raised the risk of heat illness for recovery workers, whose outdoor work under direct sunlight is unavoidable.

The 693 evacuees from 368 households are staying in temporary facilities because of flooded homes and landslide risks. The ministry asked South Gyeongsang Province and the Geoje and Tongyeong governments to check cooling at the sites and provide bottled water and cooling supplies.

At recovery sites, the ministry plans to secure drinking water and shaded and air-conditioned spaces for workers to rest. It will monitor workers' health and require those with suspected heat-illness symptoms to stop immediately and rest. It is also working with local governments to deploy mobile shower vehicles and has requested individual accommodation for households that want it as stays in group temporary facilities become longer.

"We will carefully look after the health of every displaced person unable to return home and make every effort to prevent secondary harm or discomfort from the heat through measures including relief-supply support," Interior Minister Yoon Ho-jung said.