"I have lived here for 15 years, and I have never seen anything like this. The rain was pouring down so hard it was frightening."

Around 10:00 a.m. yesterday (July 9), a resident surnamed Baek (in her 60s) in front of an apartment complex in Songgang-dong, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, said, "The sound of the rain was so intense that I spent the whole night anxious, fearing something terrible might happen."

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

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

Baek said, "From dawn, soil was sliding down, and residents were busy moving their parked cars," adding, "My husband also moved his car in a hurry, but he contacted me later saying that when he was driving 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, with rainwater pouring down and soil sliding right along with it," adding, "A pile of dirt collapsed onto a car that hadn't been moved in time."

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

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

Residents watching the restoration work from the scene expressed relief that there were no casualties, but 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 much it rained before, soil had never slid down like this. I have never seen a scene like this in my life," adding, "I am especially worried because there is a daycare center near the hill by the apartment's back gate, and it is a place with frequent pedestrian traffic."

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

As of 11:00 a.m. that day, a total of 229 reports of storm and flood damage had been filed 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 that day due to swollen valley waters, and authorities have begun cleanup efforts.

By the afternoon, the area in front of the Donghaksa restaurants and shops was covered in mud, branches, and other debris, resembling a mudflat.

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

The flooding damage was particularly concentrated on five or six shops under the Third Hakbong Bridge. Merchants agreed that as rocks and soil were swept away all at once, even the drainage and water pipes were blocked or damaged, causing the water to rise before they could do anything about it.

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

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

According to the Daejeon Regional Meteorological Administration, the rainfall from 12:00 a.m. on the 8th to 11:00 a.m. on the 9th 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)