Jungnang-gu held a district mayor-led emergency heat wave meeting Tuesday to strengthen resident safety as the prolonged heat wave continues.
District Mayor Ryu Kyung-gi presided over the meeting alongside Deputy District Mayor Jeong Sang-taek and department heads from 14 divisions. Participants shared each department's heat wave response status and conducted a comprehensive review of the tiered alert system and sector-by-sector progress.
The district is currently operating a dedicated heat wave management task force that monitors weather conditions around the clock and maintains an emergency contact network. When a heat wave advisory is issued, a general support operations center — comprising five teams across 14 departments — is activated to strengthen on-the-ground response through measures including extended cooling shelter hours and 24-hour emergency evacuation centers. Should large-scale damage appear likely, the district plans to activate its disaster safety response headquarters and mobilize its full response capacity.
Some 129 lifestyle support workers and other staff are conducting in-person visits and phone check-ins for about 1,600 elderly residents living alone, while real-time safety and health monitoring using IoT devices runs simultaneously for vulnerable senior households. The district is also providing homeless individuals with relief supplies such as bottled water and residential support, and has stepped up patrols. It is operating 153 cooling shelters — three more than last year — and 12 safe accommodation facilities for low-income, housing-vulnerable elderly residents, two more than last year. During heat wave advisories, community service centers will extend their hours to cover evenings, weekends and public holidays.
The district has also expanded its heat-relief infrastructure, operating 197 outdoor shade structures — 12 more than last year — along with cooling fog systems and Jungnang Ongdalsaem water stations. Starting in July, it opened the district's first air-conditioned mobile outdoor cooling shelter near Exit 2 of Junghwa Station.
Road washing is also being carried out along major arterial and branch roads as the district works to minimize the urban heat island effect.
"Heat waves directly affect the health and daily lives of our residents, so all departments will work in close coordination to ensure we are fully prepared," District Mayor Ryu said. "We also ask residents to refrain from outdoor activities during heat waves, stay well hydrated, and familiarize themselves with heat wave safety guidelines."
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