At a gateball court in Gangnae-myeon, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju, the temperature soared to 34°C (93°F) yesterday (July 13).

The air was thick with a stifling heat, accompanied by a musty smell of mud that seemed to blend with the odors of mold and stagnant water.

The poorly ventilated indoor space felt like a sweltering furnace.

Traces of muddy water remained on the floor, still damp in many places.

Members of the gateball club were sweating as they took turns using mops and dry towels to clean the floor.

Park, 77, the president of the gateball club, said, "We come out around 6 a.m. to clean before it gets too hot, fearing we might collapse in the extreme heat."

Park noted that since July 10, the day after the heavy rain hit, six to eight people have been coming out every day to continue the recovery work.

Even on this day, two members remained on-site, cleaning amidst the scorching heatwave.

There were few ways to cool down.

The refrigerator that had been submerged stopped working, and the air conditioner was left broken and abandoned.

This is because electricity has not yet been restored.

A few fans that had been underwater were cleaned of mud and set up, but it is uncertain whether they will function.

Another member, busy moving their hands while holding a rag, said, "The elderly people need to be able to play here, but it looks like we won't even be able to do that."

In the yard of a nearby aerial work platform rental company, 44 submerged lift machines were lined up.

When the heavy rain poured down, water rushed into the company's factory, causing most of the equipment to break down.

Employees were squatting down, sweating profusely as they wiped mud from the wheels and battery terminals.

A company official said, "We have already cleaned it with water three times, but the muddy water keeps rising back up. Every day is a loss, so we have to recover as quickly as possible," as they hurried to continue their work.

In the fields, a farmer named Kim, 68, was walking along a rice paddy ridge under the blazing sun.

Most of the seedlings in the nearby sesame field had withered and dried up.

Kim clicked his tongue, saying, "Once they are covered in water, there is no use."

In front of a nearby vinyl greenhouse farm, belongings soaked in muddy water were piled high.

The owner was not there.

When reached by phone, the farm owner said they were on their way to the hospital after coming down with a fever from washing off the belongings from their flooded farm shed and storage facility for several days.

The farmer, who grows chili peppers, sesame, and corn, said that two of their vinyl greenhouses were completely submerged.

They added that three years ago, the water had risen as high as the roof of the greenhouses.

According to preliminary figures from the Chungbuk Agricultural Cooperative, the area of crop damage in the Cheongju region reached 78.27 hectares as of 10 a.m. on July 10.

Rice, zucchini, and soybeans were submerged in muddy water, and the scale of the damage is likely to continue to increase.

(Photo: Yonhap News)