Heavy downpours reaching up to 100 mm per hour battered areas in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, in the early hours of today (August 17), triggering a state of high alert as evacuation orders were issued for residents due to the risk of a reservoir overflowing and rivers bursting their banks.

According to the city of Geoje, emergency disaster text messages warning of landslide and river overflow risks were dispatched across the entire city at around 2:10 AM today, urging all citizens to promptly evacuate to safe areas.

In particular, as torrential rains caused parts of villages in Ilun-myeon to flood, fire authorities and local government officials are evacuating residents to safe zones.

Preemptive evacuations were also carried out in other flood-prone areas within the region.

The risk of major water systems overflowing reached its peak due to the heavy rain pouring down in a short period.

At around 2:40 AM today, the city of Geoje also issued an urgent notice stating, "With a high risk of the Mundong Reservoir overflowing, nearby residents are asked to immediately evacuate to higher ground."

Worsening road conditions and facility controls followed one after another.

A city official stated, "In some affected areas, road flooding and obstacles are making it difficult even for emergency vehicles such as fire trucks to enter," adding, "Residents near hazardous zones should refrain from driving vehicles and immediately and swiftly evacuate to designated safe areas and higher ground."

(Photo: Provided by reader, Yonhap News)