"A Sight I've Never Seen in My Life"... Collapsing in an Instant

"I have lived here for 15 years, and this is the first time I have seen anything like this. The rain was pouring down so hard it was frightening."

On the morning of July 9, around 10:00 a.m., a resident surnamed Baek (in her 60s) near an apartment complex in Songgang-dong, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, said, "The sound of the rain was so intense that I was worried all night, fearing something terrible might happen."

The back gate of this apartment complex faces a small hill across a four-lane road, and soil washed down from the hillside by the overnight rain had completely covered the road.

This area was often used by residents for parking at night to compensate for a lack of space within the complex, leading to damages such as wrecked vehicles.

Baek said, "From dawn, the soil was sliding down, and residents were frantic trying to move their parked cars. My husband also rushed to move his car, but he contacted me later saying that when he went to work, his car was making loud noises because so much sand and dirt had gotten inside."

Another resident surnamed Lee (in his 40s) said, "I was looking outside from my home at 6:00 a.m. when one side of the hillside turned into a waterfall, and the rain poured down, bringing the soil with it. A pile of dirt collapsed right onto a car that hadn't been moved in time."

The Yuseong-gu Office in Daejeon issued a disaster text message at 7:49 a.m. that day to inform residents of the landslide and advise them to take detours, while simultaneously deploying heavy equipment, such as excavators, and personnel for emergency road restoration work.

Apartment management office staff also arrived at 6:00 a.m. to help guide residents in moving their vehicles.

While residents watching the restoration work felt relieved that there were no casualties, they could not hide their lingering anxiety.

A resident surnamed Jang (in his 50s), who has lived in the apartment for 30 years, said, "No matter how hard it rained before, soil had never washed down like this. I have never seen a scene like this in my life. It is especially worrying because there is a daycare center near the hillside by the back gate, and it is a place where residents frequently pass by."

Since July 8, heavy rain of around 200mm has poured across Daejeon, Sejong, and South Chungcheong Province, leading to a series of reports regarding fallen trees and flooding of roads and homes.

As of 11:00 a.m. that day, 229 reports of storm and flood damage had been received in South Chungcheong Province and 54 in Daejeon, prompting authorities to take action.

In the restaurant and shopping district near Donghaksa Temple in Gongju, South Chungcheong Province, large-scale flooding occurred from the morning of the 9th due to swollen valley waters, and authorities began cleanup efforts.

By the afternoon, the area in front of the Donghaksa restaurants and shops resembled a mudflat, with soil, mud, and tree branches piled up everywhere.

Volunteer firefighters and residents worked hard to remove the soil and repair damaged drainage and water pipes.

The flooding was concentrated on five or six shops located under the No. 3 Hakbong Bridge. Merchants said that as debris, including rocks, was swept down at once, it blocked or damaged the drainage and water pipes, causing the water to rise before they could do anything.

An 80-year-old merchant who runs a restaurant just below the valley raised his voice, saying, "The drainage facilities are too close to the valley, so even when the water rises just a little, they get blocked and become completely useless."

A merchant who owns a small shop that suffered flood damage said, "I experienced flooding two years ago, but this is the first time the water rose past my ankles and almost up to my knees. It is so disheartening because all my products are soaked," as they shoveled out the mud piled up on the shop floor.

According to the Daejeon Regional Meteorological Administration, the rainfall from 0:00 a.m. on July 8 to 11:00 a.m. on July 9 was recorded at 262.0mm in Cheonan, 246.5mm in Gyeryong, 235.5mm in Goun-dong, Sejong, and 230mm in Jang-dong, Daejeon.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.