Torrential rain damages homes, roads in Gangwon with hundreds displaced

Heavy rain advisories were lifted, but recovery work, road closures and a search for a missing person continued as officials kept emergency measures in place.

A rescue team searches for a fisherman who went missing after being swept away by swollen waters in the Jucheon River in Yeongwol County, Gangwon, on July 18. GANGWON STATE FIRE HEADQUARTERS

CHUNCHEON, Gangwon — Torrential rain dumped more than 170 millimeters (6.7 inches) of rain in Gangwon from Friday to Sunday. Although all heavy rain advisories were lifted on Sunday morning, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters plans to keep its emergency response system in place to support recovery efforts and prevent further damage.

Cheorwon County recorded the highest rainfall in the province. It received 171.1 millimeters of rain between Friday midnight and Sunday 11 a.m., according to the provincial government of Gangwon and the Korea Meteorological Administration.

The Guryong pass in Hongcheon County received the heaviest downpour at 165 millimeters, followed by the Girin neighborhood in Inje County, Gangwon, at 162.5 millimeters.

Sinnam in Inje County received 153 millimeters of rain, followed by the Daepo neighborhood in Sokcho with 149.5 millimeters. The Jinbu pass received 142.7 millimeters, followed by the Naedeok neighborhood in Yeongwol County with 127 millimeters, Jeongseon County with 122.2 millimeters, northern Chuncheon with 112.2 millimeters and the Jumunjin neighborhood in Gangneung with 110.5 millimeters.

With the rain causing damage to highways, emergency repairs have been completed on the road in Hwacheon County and on another stretch in Yeongwol County after reported rockfall.

Authorities have kept both roads closed and diverted traffic to prevent potential accidents caused by additional rockfalls.

Authorities suspend access on parts of the Dongbu Expressway in Seoul in the midst of heavy rainfall on July 18. YONHAP

The rain also disrupted traffic and damaged property in other parts of the province. A brick wall beside an underpass in Wonju collapsed at about 12:29 a.m. on Sunday and forced police and firefighters to close the road.

Floodwaters also washed out farmland in Hongcheon County, while greenhouses were inundated in Inje. Local governments are assessing the extent of the damage.

Authorities also temporarily restricted access to 104 riverside facilities across Gangwon. The closures included 95 walking trails and bicycle paths in areas such as Chuncheon and eight riverside parking lots in Hongcheon, Hoengseong, Pyeongchang and Jeongseon.

The heaviest rainfall came during the early hours of Saturday, when heavy rain warnings and advisories were successively issued for areas in the province such as Cheorwon, Chuncheon, Hongcheon and Hwacheon between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m., when rain fell at about 30 millimeters per hour.

Due to the extreme weather, a fisher disappeared after falling into the Jucheon River while crossing a weir in Yeongwol at about 7:59 p.m. on Saturday. Two companions witnessed the accident and called emergency authorities, but search crews had not been successful as operations entered a second day on Sunday.

Emergency authorities attempt to rescue residents stranded by heavy rain in Inje County, Gangwon, on July 18. GANGWON STATE FIRE HEADQUARTERS

Rescue crews were dispatched to several water-related emergencies across the province.

Emergency crews carried out several rescue operations as swollen streams overflowed across the province.

Two residents who were trapped by rising water in Inje at about 10:14 a.m. on Saturday were rescued by emergency responders after an hour of being stranded.

Later, at about 2:51 p.m., emergency crews rescued a vacationer who became stranded on a rock in the middle of a mountain stream near a vacation rental in Chuncheon after being cut off by swift currents.

Numerous reports of fallen trees, landslides, flooding and requests for drainage assistance continued throughout the province.

Dams along the Bukhan River opened their floodgates to regulate water levels and rein in the emergency situations caused by the extreme rainfall.

Two dams in Gyeonggi, the Cheongpyeong Dam and Paldang Dam, had released 900 and 1,500 tons of water per second downstream, respectively, as of 10 a.m. on Sunday.

An emergency responder cuts down a fallen tree that fell across a road due to heavy rainfall in Chuncheon, Gangwon, on July 18. GANGWON STATE FIRE HEADQUARTERS

Further upstream in Gangwon, the Chuncheon Dam and Uiam Dam began controlled releases at 10 a.m. on Saturday before halting the discharge at 4:20 a.m. on Sunday.

Although all heavy rain advisories have been lifted, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters plans to maintain its emergency response system for the time being as landslide risks remain high, particularly in North Gyeongsang.

A total of 793 cases of facility damage had been reported nationwide as of 5 a.m. on Sunday, according to the disaster response authorities. There were 253 reported cases of flooded homes and roads, along with 540 cases involving landslides and rockfalls. Flooding also inundated 7.4 acres of farmland in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang.

Residents in six cities and provinces — Daegu, Sejong, Gyeonggi, North Chungcheong, South Chungcheong and North Gyeongsang — were forced to evacuate because of overflowing rivers and landslide risks.

A brick wall beside an underpass collapsed after heavy rain fell in Wonju, Gangwon, on July 19. WONJU FIRE STATION

As of 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, 294 people were staying at community centers or temporary shelters, and many had yet to return home.

Transportation disruptions also continued. Flights and train services were operating normally, but operations of seven passenger ferries on six routes in the Yellow Sea were suspended.

Authorities also closed 412 hiking trails in 17 national parks and a section of highway between the Nokjeon junction and Eopyeong Pass in Yeongwol County.

Between midnight on Friday and 5 a.m. on Sunday, Paju, Gyeonggi, recorded the highest accumulated rainfall at 197.5 millimeters, followed by Dongducheon, Gyeonggi, at 195.5 millimeters, Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi, at 189 millimeters, Cheorwon County at 171.1 millimeters and Gangseo District, western Seoul, at 164.5 millimeters. Andong, North Gyeongsang, recorded 65.5 millimeters of rain in one hour, bringing its cumulative rainfall to 158 millimeters.

Although the downpours have eased, additional rainfall is forecast for North Gyeongsang. The Korea Forest Service raised its landslide warning for the province from "caution" to "alert" at 8 a.m. on Sunday. The elevated warning follows weakened ground in areas hit by last year's major wildfires and forecasts calling for an additional 30 to 100 millimeters of rain in Daegu and North Gyeongsang later in the afternoon.

The Dongbu Expressway in Seoul is completely closed to traffic on July 18 following torrential rain. YONHAP

Yun Ho-jung, head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters and Minister of the Interior and Safety, dispatched the headquarters' deputy chief to North Gyeongsang to oversee emergency relief for displaced residents, emergency repairs to damaged facilities and landslide prevention measures.

Yun emphasized that authorities should inspect drainage facilities with more heavy rain forecast this week.

“The relevant agencies must also ensure that residents in areas at risk of landslides return home only after their safety has been confirmed,” the minister said. “Temporary shelters should remain available, and relief supplies should continue to be provided until all displaced residents are able to return home.”

BY CHOI JONG-KWON, PARK JIN-HO, KIM MIN-WOOK [lee.jiwon10@joongang.co.kr]