Flooding and traffic control throughout Seoul... Heavy rain pouring down at 53.5 mm per hour in Gangbuk-gu (comprehensive)

More than 129 cases of damage, including falling trees... Heavy rain advisory lifted at 3:30 p.m.

Fallen leaves from strong winds block drains, causing immediate flooding on the road.

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Dong-gyu and Jo Hyeon-young = Heavy rain accompanied by strong winds fell in Seoul on Sunday the 18th, causing rain damage throughout the city.

In particular, Gangbuk-gu once recorded the highest hourly rainfall in the country, with 53.5 mm of rain falling per hour, and fallen leaves from strong winds blocked drains, causing immediate flooding of roads.

The heavy rain advisory was lifted as of 3:30 p.m., but rain continued in some parts of Seoul.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, as of 5 p.m. on this day, a total of 129 cases of damage were reported to the fire department, including 47 cases of drainage support, 21 cases of tree overturning, and 60 cases of other facility safety issues.

At 3:16 p.m. on this day, the city of Seoul announced through a heavy rain disaster text message, "There is a lot of rain and strong winds in Seoul," and "Please refrain from visiting low-lying areas or high-risk areas and be careful of accidents involving falling signs or other attachments."

As of 3:30 p.m., the heavy rain advisory issued for the northeast, northwest, and southwest of Seoul was lifted, but rain continued in some places.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that a flood forecast was issued for Eunpyeong-gu at 2:42 p.m. on this day, followed by Gangbuk-gu at 2:50 p.m. and Nowon-gu at 2:51 p.m.

As of 5 p.m., the cumulative precipitation was the highest at 65 mm in Gangbuk and the lowest at 20 mm in Songpa-gu.

As rainwater poured into rivers, 16 rivers in Seoul, including Jungnangcheon, Yangjaecheon, Uicheon, and Seongbukcheon, were also controlled.

Road damage also occurred.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government's traffic information system, at 3:04 p.m., the lower road of Jeungsangyo Bridge in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul was completely blocked due to flooding due to rainfall.

Yeongdeungpo-gu completely blocked the four-lane road in Yeongdeungpo 8-ga at 2:55 p.m. due to the risk of falling objects.

Breaking news was sent out warning people to watch out for rain and strong winds in several sections of the highway, including the Yangjae-Anseong section of the Gyeongbu Expressway and the Geumcheon-Seopyeongtaek section of the West Coast Expressway.

An accident occurred in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, where a tree fell due to gusts of wind.

This tree fell down in the middle of the road, obstructing vehicle and citizen traffic.

Near Yeonsinnae Station in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, roads were flooded and vehicles drove slowly.

In some areas, the water rose up to knee level.

The flooding damage was interpreted as the result of fallen leaves blocking drainage channels, preventing smooth drainage.

For this reason, in some flooded areas, nearby commercial owners or residents quickly picked up fallen leaves by hand.

The outdoor performance scheduled for that day was also canceled due to bad weather.

Mint Paper, the organizer of the 'Grand Mint Festival' scheduled for that day at Olympic Park in Songpa-gu, Seoul, announced that it would issue a full refund, saying, "Due to the continued worsening weather, we decided that it was practically impossible to carry out the performance we had prepared."

Mapo-gu also suspended the ‘Mapo Naru Shrimp Festival’ due to safety concerns due to rainy weather.

The city of Seoul announced that it is currently receiving complaints related to flooding and rain damage and is responding immediately.

Twelve rainwater pumping stations are partially operating to drain cold water from roads, etc., and the first stage of operation began at 2:40 p.m. Currently, reinforcement work is in progress.

The city said that upon receiving a complaint, it is in close communication with the relevant autonomous district and is seeking cooperation by ordering them to remove fallen leaves accumulated in the drain and draining areas that are filled with water.

An official from the Seoul Metropolitan Government said, "Currently, the rain appears to be entering a lull, but we are responding with a focus on quickly resolving rain damage reports as we are coming in."