'Emergency repairs are done, but my shop is still a wreck': Flood victims in Geoje, Tongyeong left in limbo

Emergency repairs in the South Gyeongsang Province cities of Geoje and Tongyeong, which suffered severe damage from extreme rainfall during the Liberation Day holiday, have been completed. But residents whose private businesses were hit by the floods say they have been left behind, with recovery work at commercial properties still lagging.

As of Friday, the emergency repair rate for flood-damaged areas in Geoje and Tongyeong stood at 100 percent, according to South Gyeongsang Province figures. The figure reflects the completion of emergency work on what authorities classify as "everyday essential facilities" — public infrastructure including roads, rivers and water supply systems, as well as residential buildings such as standalone houses.

Private businesses and other non-public properties, however, are still in the middle of cleanup. A man in his 30s surnamed Jeon, who runs a campsite in Dunduk-myeon, Geoje, only began full-scale recovery work on Friday. During the Liberation Day holiday, more than 900 millimeters of rain fell on Geoje, sending mud and rocks cascading down surrounding hillsides and burying the campsite.

Mobilizing heavy equipment as a private individual proved difficult, causing repeated delays. "I understand that public facilities and homes had to come first, but this was a natural disaster and we desperately need support," Jeon said.

Volunteers working at recovery sites echoed the sentiment. A man in his 50s surnamed Jang, who helped with cleanup at a private shrimp farm in Dunduk-myeon, said the scale of destruction was hard to put into words. "There weren't many people sent to help," he said. "This was a disaster that was nearly impossible to prepare for, so more recovery support seems necessary."

As of 8 a.m. Friday, authorities had tallied 16,848 cases of private property damage, with total losses reaching about 51.5 billion won ($37.9 million). The figure is expected to rise as the count continues.

A large share of private properties not classified as everyday essential facilities have yet to complete repairs. Emergency work focused on public infrastructure is finished, but returning to normal life before the floods is expected to take considerably more time.