The recovery situation at the flood site continues to be slow, with large temperature differences between regions. In some areas, river maintenance and bridge repairs have been completed, but residents who lost their homes due to landslides are still scattered and suffering, unable to even begin construction of relocation complexes. Due to financial difficulties, there are many households that have no choice but to abandon their ruined houses rather than restore them to their original state. This has caused a serious social problem that goes beyond simple physical destruction and the collapse of the community. Administrative authorities have pledged to complete emergency recovery by the end of this month, but the fear and anxiety felt by local residents is already far outpacing the speed of recovery.

The movement of public institutions to prevent disasters is attempting to change from the past focus on facility inspection to a practical response system. Local government heads, including the Gyeonggi Northern Police Agency Chief, are conducting on-site inspections of disaster-vulnerable areas and are strengthening their initial response capabilities, especially for camping sites with a high risk of landslides and areas prone to frequent flooding. In addition, Gangseo-gu and Geumcheon-gu in Seoul are conducting joint training assuming an actual disaster situation and are making every effort to achieve zero casualties by introducing the ‘accompanying partner’ system for vulnerable groups living in semi-basements. Private relief organizations are also engaging in preemptive environmental cleanup activities to prevent river flooding, showing heightened awareness of disaster prevention throughout society.

However, despite these efforts, the expansion of actual disaster prevention facilities is still sluggish. The installation rate of water barriers in underground parking lots of apartment complexes in Gangwon-do is only 12%, and there is widespread avoidance of installation due to concerns about cost burden and falling housing prices. Although flood prevention facilities are the last bastion of protecting life beyond protecting property, it is an unfortunate situation where there is a lack of legal basis to enforce them or financial support from local governments does not keep up with reality. Experts are unanimous that bold policy decisions are needed, such as going beyond subsidy support and requiring local governments to invest their entire budget to make flood prevention devices mandatory.

The public sector is accelerating the construction of a multifaceted safety net in preparation for extreme rainfall caused by climate change. Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power fully inspected the flood response readiness of power generation facilities across the country and ensured operational operability in preparation for localized heavy rain, and the Korea Railroad Corporation placed a ban on bringing personal mobility devices equipped with large-capacity lithium batteries onto trains to prevent fire risks at the source. This is the result of public institutions facing the new era of climate crisis, prioritizing the safety of citizens and proactively eliminating risk factors. However, constant monitoring and feedback must be provided to ensure that these large-scale policies are fully delivered to every corner of the field and can work in actual crisis situations.