Decision to Provide Emergency Living Expenses to Victims of Large-Scale Wildfires
The government has decided to provide 3 million won in emergency living expenses to those who have suffered from casualties and housing damage due to the large-scale wildfires.
On the 5th, the head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced this during the 14th meeting of the Central Disaster Headquarters for wildfire response in Gyeongbuk, Gyeongnam, and Ulsan held at the Government Seoul Building. He stated plans to link the provision of permanent housing for displaced individuals with housing projects from government departments and public institutions.
The head also reported that various support measures are being considered, including the realistic restoration cost for major agricultural products and the expansion of supported agricultural machinery models. Additionally, quick support for disaster recovery costs will be provided to affected fishermen along with emergency management funds, and non-financial assistance such as management stabilization and consulting will be implemented for small businesses in the affected areas, he added.
So far, the total amount of donations from the public through disaster relief associations has reached approximately 92.5 billion won. The government is accelerating its efforts to establish large-scale wildfire disaster recovery and support measures centered around the intergovernmental recovery support headquarters.
The Korea Forest Service has dispatched an emergency diagnosis team to the wildfire-affected area in Ulju-gun, Ulsan, to inspect areas at risk of landslides, and plans to complete emergency recovery in regions identified as needing urgent restoration by June, based on hazard assessment results.
The government plans to amend the enforcement rules of the law on the creation and management of forest resources to include disaster safety and efficiency as evaluation criteria for access road feasibility. This is anticipated to ensure that disaster prevention functions are reflected from the design stage.
With Arbor Day and the feast of Hansik approaching, an increase in visitors to the mountains over the weekend is expected, making it essential to maintain awareness of wildfire prevention, such as adherence to prohibited areas and the ban on carrying fire.
The head urged local governments to strengthen monitoring, promotion, and enforcement, and requested that they work on preventing risk factors associated with wildfires. Furthermore, he emphasized that the government will carefully ensure that there is no inconvenience for residents during the recovery process and strives to help affected residents quickly restore their livelihoods.
Image source: News1
