Recovery efforts across southeastern Korea began Tuesday after record-breaking rainfall battered the region, and the hardest-hit cities struggle to return to some semblance of normalcy.
Authorities continued to warn of possible landslides as hundreds of residents remained in evacuation centers, while crews worked to remove soil, fallen trees and other debris swept onto roads and into streams by flooding.
Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, resumed public transportation Tuesday after a one-day suspension Monday. The city recorded 654 millimeters of rainfall that day, more than half the city's average summer rainfall of 935.1 mm.
Six roads in Geoje remained closed Tuesday morning as authorities continued clearing debris left by floods and landslides. Transportation networks were yet to fully recover, and 20 of the city's 30 schools remained closed after sustaining damage to their facilities.
Though heavy rain warnings had been lifted, rain was still falling in Geoje as of noon on Tuesday. According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, cumulative rainfall in the city since midnight Saturday had reached 958 mm as of 10 a.m. Tuesday, exceeding the average rainfall for the entire summer.
The city began deploying equipment and personnel early Tuesday to clear mud, fallen trees and other debris from roads and clogged waterways.
“We will mobilize all available resources to speed up recovery and minimize inconvenience to residents,” Geoje Mayor Byun Gwang-yong said. “As the ground remains saturated, additional incidents such as landslides and soil runoff could occur. Residents are urged to exercise caution and take safety precautions in areas at risk.”
Tongyeong in South Gyeongsang Province, which recorded cumulative rainfall of 776.7 mm as of 10 a.m. Tuesday, was also working to clear roads and restore damaged facilities. Four roads remained closed in the city in the morning.
The full extent of the damage was still being assessed.
Nationwide, 2,598 cases of damage, including flooded homes and roads and fallen trees, had been reported, with 2,352 in South Gyeongsang Province, according to an Interior Ministry update issued Tuesday morning.
Of the 4,161 power outages caused by the rain, 97 percent had been restored, the ministry said. Water service for 5,177 households was expected to be fully restored by Friday.
Many evacuated residents had yet to return home as their houses remained affected by flooding and landslides. The Interior Ministry said 251 people were still staying in evacuation centers as of 9 a.m. Tuesday.
Of them, around 140 residents of an apartment complex in Okpo-dong, Geoje, were staying in nearby schools and other public facilities after a landslide struck the complex, killing one person and injuring two others.
Authorities continued to warn of further landslides in Geoje and Tongyeong as the ground remained saturated and unstable.
Political leaders also visited the affected areas and pledged support for recovery efforts.
Democratic Party of Korea leader Rep. Kim Min-seok visited Geoje on Monday evening shortly after being elected party leader. People Power Party leader Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok and floor leader Rep. Jeong Jeom-sig visited the city Tuesday morning.
Prime Minister Han Seong-sook also visited the area, and President Lee Jae Myung called for extreme weather to be treated as an issue of national security and instructed the prime minister to closely oversee the response.
“Record-breaking heat waves, droughts and torrential rains are becoming part of our daily lives,” Lee said. “It is time to approach the climate from the perspective of national security.”
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