Red Cross distributes W1.1b in supplies to 50,000 heat-vulnerable households

The Korean Red Cross announced Wednesday that it is working through its 15 regional chapters nationwide to protect households most vulnerable to heat-related illness, including elderly people living alone, people with disabilities and residents of low-income single-room housing.

As the designated disaster management authority, the Korean Red Cross began distributing supplies before the peak heat season set in. It has provided about 1.1 billion won ($769,000) worth of goods — including 1,385 heat-prevention kits containing personal cooling items such as cooling patches, 10,000 bottles of water and sports drinks, 1,249 electric fans and roughly 23,000 blankets — while educating recipients on the symptoms of heat-related illness and what to do during extreme heat.

In urban areas under major heat alerts, including Seoul, the organization is focusing on low-income single-room housing districts, supplying bottled water and heat-prevention items. In rural and fishing communities, volunteers are visiting elderly residents who live alone or have difficulty getting around. In Incheon, Gwangju, South Jeolla Province and Jeju, the Red Cross is also running additional mobile cooling shelter services that bring relief directly to residents.

Red Cross volunteers are visiting heat-vulnerable residents to check their health and whether they have access to cooling equipment, and are continuing to provide guidance on heat safety. When they identify residents with health concerns or in need of additional support, they connect them with local governments, health authorities and other relevant agencies to ensure those residents receive the help they need.

The Korean Red Cross plans to maintain its heat response operations through all 15 regional chapters until heat advisories are lifted, while stepping up monitoring of disaster-vulnerable populations, expanding distribution of heat-prevention supplies and strengthening community partnerships to minimize casualties from the extreme heat.

Park Jong-sul, secretary-general of the Korean Red Cross, said prolonged heat waves driven by climate change "can become a serious disaster that threatens the lives of our neighbors," adding that the organization "will always watch for risks and provide support to ease the suffering of those who need help."