Heavy rains hit S. Korea for third straight weekend causing flooding, deaths
By Jim Lea, Osan bureau chief
Flood condition levels
The 2nd Infantry Division declares different levels of
flood conditions for its bases north of Seoul, depending on amount of rainfall expected.
Here’s what each level means:
Flood Condition 1: Premonsoon planning. An initial
flood readiness condition declared at the beginning of the rainy season each year. The
rainy season runs from about June 1 until about Sept. 1.
Flood Condition 2: Flood warning. A warning and
alert condition declared when flooding is probable. It will be declared when any one or
more of the following conditions are met:
1. Weather forecasts indicate the potential for
intense and/or prolonged rainfall.
2. Actual rainfall of 5 inches or more within a
12-hour period.
3. Water level on the river gauge rises 10 feet or
more within a six-hour period (not due to tidal action).
Flood Condition 3: Flood. An alert condition declared
when flooding is imminent. It will be declared when one or more of the following
conditions are met:
1. Rainfall exceeds 2 inches in a one-hour period.
2. Rainfall exceeds 4 inches in a six-hour period.
3. Water level on the river gauge raises 2 feet or
more during a one-hour period (not due to tidal action).
SOURCE: 2nd Infantry Division Public
Affairs Office |
Torrential rain pelted central and northern parts of South Korea for
the third weekend in a row, causing at least four deaths and flooding low-lying areas of
Seoul and surrounding Kyonggi Province.
U.S. Army officials reported no flooding at bases in the affected
areas Sunday. Bob Warner, spokesman for Area III, headquartered at Camp Humphreys, said
Camps Humphreys, Long, and Eagle and Suwon Air Base each received about 2 inches of rain
Sunday.
First Lt. Travis Tougaw, a 51st Fighter Wing spokesman, said Osan Air
Base received just over 2 inches of rain, but there was no flooding or damage. Weather
forecasters at Osan were predicting rain and thunderstorms through Thursday.
Lt. Col. Susan Danielson, 2nd Infantry Division spokeswoman, said
camps between Seoul and the Demilitarized Zone were in Flood Condition 2 on Monday. That
means heavy or prolonged rain is expected, and some areas may already have received more
than 5 inches.
Camps Essayons and Stanton in Uijongbu, 15 miles north of Seoul,
received more than 5 inches and 5 inches, respectively, on Sunday. Camps Garry Owen,
Greaves and Hovey received at least 4 inches of rain.
In Incheon, 15 miles west of Seoul, a Central Disaster
Countermeasures Headquarters spokesman said four Koreans were killed in a rain-related
traffic accident. Another Korean man who had been rafting on a tributary of the Han River
was listed as missing.
Fifty-five people were killed in heavy rain in Seoul and its vicinity
on July 15 and six died July 22-23 in eastern Kangwon Province.
The disaster headquarters spokesman said officials in several
districts of Seoul turned off street lamps Sunday to prevent possible electrocutions. At
least 19 people were electrocuted in the July 15 downpour when flooded streets caused
lamppost switchboxes to short circuit.
He also said about 2,000 homes in Seoul, Incheon and elsewhere in
Kyonggi Province were flooded.
Service on the subway line connecting Seoul and Incheon was suspended
for about two hours early Sunday when tunnels flooded, he said. Highway traffic was
restricted by landslides in some areas north of the capital.
Flash floods trapped some 60 campers on Kanghwa Island at the mouth
of the Han River on Sunday. They were led to safety by rescue workers after about three
hours, the spokesman said.
A spokesman for the Korean Meteorological Administration said about 8
inches of rain fell on Incheon during the day, while Seoul received about 6 inches and
Suwon, 15 miles south of the capital, recorded about 5 inches. Rain fell as hard as 2
inches an hour in some areas, he said.
Another inch of rain fell in Seoul, 2½ inches at Tongduchon —
20 miles north of the capital — and 3½ inches on Kanghwa Island between 3 and 6 a.m.
on Monday, the meteorological administration spokesman said.
Thick fog covered some eastern and southern cities where no rain fell
on Sunday, causing cancellation of some domestic flights to Seoul, the disaster
headquarters spokesman said.
Korean weather forecasters said they expected as much as 6 to 8
inches of rain to fall in central and eastern areas of the country on Monday.
Jan Childs and Bae Gi-chul contributed to this report.
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