[Anchor]

Heavy monsoon rains poured across the country today, July 9. The damage was concentrated in the Chungcheong region, where the monsoon front remained stationary. Urgent situations unfolded as roads and shops were submerged, forcing residents to evacuate.

First, we start with the situation in the Chungnam region, reported by Hong Seung-yeon.

[Reporter]

Rainwater cascades incessantly down the hillside.

With nearly 120mm of torrential rain falling in a single day, a hotel parking lot turned into a sea of water, and staff worked tirelessly to bail out water that had flooded into the restaurant.

[Lee Jae-yong / Hotel Operator affected by flooding: Our restaurant and seminar rooms are all submerged, so it is incredibly difficult. Even if we pump the water out, muddy water remains inside.]

This space was used as a hotel storage area.

Although they are continuously pumping out water, the water level still reaches up to the knees, leaving refrigerators and various hotel equipment floating in the room.

At another nearby shop,

swollen valley waters surged into the store.

From kitchen utensils to shoes meant for sale, it is difficult to find any items that remain undamaged.

[Jegal Jeong-suk / Merchant affected by flooding: (Have you ever seen rain this heavy?) It is my first time. This is a valley area and I need to run my business, but I am at a loss. I do not think I can operate the business.]

At a tree nursery, a retaining wall collapsed due to the heavy rain.

The fields are filled with muddy water, and the spilled soil resembles the aftermath of a landslide.

In Sejong, where rainfall exceeded 70mm per hour at times, the water level at the Doam Bridge point rose rapidly in a short period, leading to a flood warning being upgraded to a flood alert just 30 minutes after it was issued.

In Daejeon, two people trapped in a car on a flooded road were rescued by firefighters. Soil flowing down from the mountain blocked a road, leading to temporary closures in both directions. Due to this rain, a total of approximately 110 people have been temporarily evacuated across the Daejeon, Sejong, and Chungnam regions.

Furthermore, over 280 reports of damage have been received, including flooded roads and fallen trees.

(Video reporting: Kim Min-cheol, Song Chang-geon TJB | Video editing: Park Ji-in)