The Ministry of the Interior and Safety held an emergency countermeasures meeting with relevant agencies today (the 14th) to strengthen preemptive responses to prevent damage such as flooding and landslides, as heavy rain accompanied by strong winds is forecasted to hit the central region starting this afternoon.

The Ministry announced that the meeting was attended by 10 central government agencies, 16 local governments, and the Korea Airports Corporation.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, from this evening through tomorrow morning, very heavy rain of 20 to 30 mm per hour is expected, mainly in the Seoul metropolitan area, Gangwon Province, and the Chungcheong region, accompanied by gusts, thunder, and lightning. In the northern parts of Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces, rainfall could reach 30 to 50 mm per hour.

The expected precipitation is 30 to 100 mm for the Seoul metropolitan area (with over 120 mm in some parts of northern Gyeonggi), 30 to 80 mm for inland and mountainous areas of Gangwon (with over 100 mm in some areas), 30 to 80 mm for the Chungcheong and Jeonbuk regions, 20 to 60 mm for Jeonnam and Jeju, and 5 to 40 mm for other regions.

As the rain is expected to concentrate during vulnerable times, such as the evening commute and late-night to early-morning hours, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety has ordered thorough preparations to prevent casualties.

First, the Ministry has strengthened pre-inspections, focusing on areas prone to habitual flooding, and ordered real-time monitoring of vulnerable sections such as underpasses and riverside roads, with instructions to preemptively restrict access if necessary.

The Ministry also requested repeated inspections and the removal of debris to prevent flooding caused by clogged rain gutters.

Authorities will strengthen patrols in flood-prone areas, such as semi-basement homes and riverside walking paths, and will intensively inspect areas at risk of collapse, including mountainous regions and steep slopes where the ground has been weakened by the rain that fell from the 8th to the 10th.

Furthermore, the Ministry plans to re-examine evacuation systems to ensure that if signs of danger are detected, residents can be guided to evacuate preemptively, and that those who have difficulty evacuating on their own, such as the elderly, can be evacuated quickly in coordination with resident evacuation support teams.

As strong winds with instantaneous speeds of over 20 meters per second are also forecasted, the Ministry requested that safety measures be taken in advance, such as securing or removing facilities at risk of falling or collapsing, including outdoor advertisements, street trees, construction site cranes, and temporary construction structures.

(Photo: Provided by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Yonhap News)