[Herald Business = Senior Reporter Park Jong-il] Yangcheon-gu has opened additional neighborhood flood-response bases to enable faster on-site action and reduce damage to residents in flood-prone areas, district mayor Lee Gi-jae announced.
The move comes as localized heavy downpours driven by abnormal climate patterns have grown more frequent, heightening the need for robust field-response systems to prevent flood damage.
To speed up emergency deployment and flood-supply distribution in vulnerable areas, the district added new bases this year, building on the Sinwol-dong neighborhood flood base established last year, as part of a broader effort to strengthen its response framework.
The district selected 894-5 Sinjeong-dong as the site for the new base, taking into account the area's history of flooding, and signed an MOU with SH Corporation in February for the free lease of a purchased housing unit there. After securing funding from the Seoul Metropolitan Government's disaster management reserve fund and completing interior renovation work, the base began full operations Monday.
Earlier, the district set up a neighborhood flood base at 200-25 Sinwol-dong last year. When weather alerts reached level one or higher, a three-person private contractor team was immediately deployed; the unit responded to 20 emergency calls, providing drainage support and flood-control supplies that helped minimize losses for residents.
This year, the district divided flood-prone areas into northern and southern zones along Gukhoe-daero and expanded its base network accordingly. The existing base covers the northern zone — including Sinwol 1-dong and Sinwol 4-dong — while the newly opened base handles the southern zone, including Sinwol 2-dong and Sinjeong 4-dong, enabling faster and more targeted on-site response.
The new base allows for immediate drainage work and flood-supply deployment when emergencies arise in below-ground housing units in vulnerable areas — such as sewage backflow or blocked stormwater drains. The district also plans to share key flood-control equipment, including water pumps and temporary flood barriers, with local residents to build their capacity for independent initial response.
The district will operate both bases through Oct. 15, the end of the flood-season preparedness period, and plans to review further expansion based on this year's results.
Meanwhile, the district is pursuing installation of flood-prevention equipment — including flood barriers and backflow prevention valves — in 4,051 semi-basement households identified as flood-vulnerable this year, achieving an installation rate of approximately 98.5 percent, as part of a comprehensive flood-response system covering prevention through on-site action.
"As unpredictable heavy rains become more frequent due to climate change, how quickly we respond on the ground is the key to reducing damage," district mayor Lee said. "We will continue to strengthen our preemptive response systems for flood-prone areas and do our utmost to protect the lives and property of our residents."
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