Record autumn rainfall results in 1 death, 1,500 evacuations

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Record autumn rainfall results in 1 death, 1,500 evacuations

Published: 22 Sep. 2024, 17:47 Updated: 22 Sep. 2024, 17:47

LEE SOO-JUNG
lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr

Agricultural land and a public park in South Chungcheong are flooded by heavy rainfall which ended on Saturday. [YONHAP]

A record autumnal downpour that swept over the country from Thursday through Saturday led to one death, some 1,500 evacuations nationwide and a large sinkhole in Busan.

The state-run Korea Meteorological Administration said on Sunday that over 770 millimeters (2.52 feet) of rain fell in the mountainous regions of Jeju Island between Thursday and Saturday. South Gyeongsang’s Changwon city received 529.4 millimeters of downpour, and South Jeolla’s Yeosu saw 400.5 millimeters of rainfall in the same time period.

In South Jeolla, a person who was swept away by a torrential flow of water at around 7:39 p.m. on Saturday was found dead at around 11:35 a.m. on Sunday. His body was discovered at a local reservoir.

In the central and southern regions, 1,501 people from 1,014 households took shelter at temporary residential facilities and public community centers, according to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on Sunday. Of the evacuees, some 682 from 455 households had not returned to their homes as of 9 p.m. Saturday.

In Busan, an 8-meter-deep sinkhole appeared Saturday morning and swallowed two trucks. The sinkhole had a width of 10 meters and a length of five meters. The incident did not cause any casualties, fire authorities said Saturday.

Coastal regions in the southern and western parts of the country were hit the hardest with hourly precipitation of around 100 millimeters, and central and southern inland regions were hit with 50 to 80 millimeters per hour, the national weather forecaster said.

On Saturday, the southern coastal city of Changwon had 397.7 millimeters of rainfall, which became a record high for daily precipitation this year. The state weather agency said such an intense inundation is likely to happen every 200 years, adding that it was the heaviest daily downpour observed in September since modern weather observation began in the South Gyeongsang region.

Firefighters take safety measures on a flooded road in North Chungcheong on Saturday morning. A taxi is also flooded by the rainwater. [NATIONAL FIRE AGENCY]

The historic September deluge also battered other regions of the country.

Gangwon accumulated precipitation of 388.5 millimeters, while the figures in the Chungcheong regions ranged between 200 and 271 millimeters. In the greater Seoul area, which was reported to have seen relatively light rainfall, over 181 millimeters were logged in southern Gyeonggi and 81.5 millimeters of rain in Seoul over the three days.

As rain clouds moved to the East Sea at a speed of 50 kilometers (31 miles) per hour, the state weather agency lifted all heavy rain advisories and warnings at 9:30 p.m. on Saturday that were put in place for most regions of the nation between Friday and Saturday.

The weather authority attributed the downpour to a stationary front — a boundary between cold and warm stagnant air masses — and low atmospheric pressure weakened in the tropical regions close to the equator.

The heavy rainfall resulted in property damage across the country.

The Interior Ministry said that 162 public infrastructure damage reports were registered, which included 107 cases of flooded roads and 21 instances of erosion.

The ministry said there are 231 private property damage cases with 170 private homes flooded, while 4,116 hectares (10,170 acres) of agricultural land were submerged by rainwater.

The ministry also said Saturday that 77 vessels traveling between the southern regions were stranded and 55 maritime routes were blocked due to "wind wave" advisories. It also noted that 16 flights were canceled due to weather conditions.

Fire authorities rescued 44 people in 25 safety rescue operations, conducted 3,420 precautionary measures and responded to 408 plumbing assistance calls.

BY LEE SOO-JUNG [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]