Andong races to recover as heavy rains flood wildfire survivors' temporary homes

Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, is mobilizing all available resources to recover from damage caused by torrential rains.

According to the city, three days of heavy downpours beginning Friday caused widespread damage to roads, waterways and other public infrastructure.

As of 8 a.m. Monday, authorities had confirmed 23 cases of damage to public facilities in the Andong area — three road incidents, eight involving local rivers, 11 involving smaller streams and one affecting the water supply system. Preliminary damage is estimated at 1.62 billion won ($1.09 million).

Particularly hard hit was a cluster of prefabricated temporary homes in Gwimi-ri, Iljik-myeon, built to house residents who lost their homes in last year's wildfires. Six of the 11 units were flooded, and the seven residents from six households are now staying at a village senior center.

The temporary housing had been set up for residents displaced by a major wildfire that swept through northern North Gyeongsang Province in March last year.

The city is in talks to relocate the affected residents to modular housing within the Gwon Jeong-saeng Donghwa Nara complex.

Temporary repairs on National Local Road 79 have been completed. Work continues on County Road 11 and damaged river sections, which remain closed to traffic.

A total of 91 residents were evacuated during the storm. Most have returned home, but some remain in temporary shelter facilities.

Recovery efforts are also picking up pace. From Sunday over two days, 387 people — including civil servants, soldiers and volunteers — were deployed to the affected areas to clear flooded homes, restore damaged crops and assess facility damage.

"The hardships facing our residents have deepened with heavy rains coming on top of the wildfires," Andong Mayor Kwon Gi-chang said. "We will focus all of our administrative capacity on recovery and support so that affected residents can return to their daily lives as soon as possible."