Mapo-gu activated the first stage of its disaster response plan at 10 p.m. Friday following a heavy rain advisory for the Greater Seoul area, convening an emergency disaster safety headquarters.
When authorities upgraded the alert to a second-stage disaster response at 3:40 a.m. Saturday, District Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun was briefed at 4 a.m. and headed to the Mangwon retention basin with about 20 headquarters staff, including the director of the transportation and construction bureau and officials from the water management and administrative support divisions.
At the site, Yoo received a briefing on the district's response to the heavy rain warning and closely reviewed water storage levels at the Mangwon retention basin, drainage capacity, and the operational readiness of key facilities at the rainwater pump station.
Yoo then moved to the disaster prevention center, where he convened a meeting and directed relevant departments to conduct advance checks on vulnerable households, flood-prone areas and elderly residents living alone in each neighborhood, and to compile and report on activities by district.
Mapo-gu recorded 129 millimeters of rainfall that day, with 192 personnel on emergency duty and nine of the district's 10 rainwater pump stations in operation.
"Although the heavy rain warning has been lifted, rain is expected to continue through Sunday, and the risk of flooding and landslides has increased," Yoo said. "We must keep up inspections and preventive measures, especially in vulnerable areas, and do everything possible to protect residents from harm."
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
