When Geoje-si, Gyeongsangnam-do and Sanyang-eup and Bongpyeong-dong, Tongyeong, which suffered heavy damage from torrential rain, were declared special disaster areas on the 21st, the affected residents unanimously welcomed them but requested prompt and careful support.
Hwang Jeong-hwa (54), who runs a singing bar in Okpo-dong, Geoje-si, told Yonhap News on the same day, "The damage is so great that it would be helpful if it was declared a special disaster area. I hope that the necessary support is provided as more than one person has suffered damage."
Mr. Hwang's store has not been completely restored until today, five days after the flood.
He said, "I have requested manpower support from the local office several times, but it has been difficult to receive help in time because it has not been declared a special disaster area. Soldiers are also being deployed, but there is still too much work to do, and it is frustrating because work is sometimes delayed due to safety diagnosis."
At the same time, he hoped that various types of support would be provided more smoothly with the declaration of a special disaster area.
Lee Jeong-suk (76), who runs a jewelry store in the same area, said, “I am very thankful that the damage was so severe that it was declared a special disaster area and that I was able to receive support.”
He continued, "Currently, the damage that is visible on the outside is significant, but the damage that is not clearly visible is also significant," and added, "As the livelihood of each store is at stake, I hope that we will carefully examine these aspects and provide support."
Lee Jong-wook (73), who has run a photo studio for over 40 years, also welcomed the declaration of a special disaster area and hoped that the application process would proceed quickly.
Mr. Lee said, “I would of course be grateful if I could receive support,” and added, “I hope that support can be provided quickly so that the affected residents can return to their daily lives as soon as possible.”
Residents of Dundeok-myeon, whose agricultural lands suffered severe flooding, also welcomed the declaration of a special disaster area.
Lee Hyeong-cheol (79), a grape farmer, said, "All the grape farms in this area were submerged in water, the embankments burst, stones came in, and it was a complete mess, so the damage was not something that could be overlooked. I'm glad it has now been declared a special disaster area."
Some residents expressed disappointment that the declaration was somewhat late.
Hong Gyeong-moon (76), a farmer in the same area, said, "After seeing the damage, I was frustrated why the declaration of a special disaster area was so late. There are too few workers and there is a lot of work to do to recover, but since there are many elderly people here, I hope the necessary support can be provided quickly."
Mr. Kim, a resident of Dundeok-myeon in his 60s, also expressed regret that residents in the outskirts of Geoje felt relatively neglected during the damage recovery process.
Mr. Kim said, “There were a lot of support staff in Gohyeon, Jangpyeong, and Okpo, but we were relatively lacking in support,” and added, “As the entire Geoje city has been declared a special disaster area, I hope that areas away from the city center will not be left out and will receive the necessary support.”
If a region is declared a special disaster area, local governments can receive additional government funding to cover some of the recovery costs, which reduces the burden on local finances.
Affected residents can receive deferral of national and local taxes and reductions in public utility bills.
The government plans to review the declaration of special disaster areas in affected areas that have not been declared as special disaster areas after conducting a detailed investigation.
