Entire Tongyeong-si Designated as an Additional Special Disaster Area

[Financial News]  The government additionally designated the entire area of Tongyeong-si, South Gyeongsang Province, as a special disaster area after it was damaged by torrential rains from August 15 to 18.
The government said it had additionally designated the entire area of Tongyeong-si as a special disaster area with President Lee Jae Myung’s approval.
Earlier, on August 21, the government first designated the entire area of Geoje and Sanyang-eup and Bongpyeong-dong in Tongyeong-si as special disaster areas based on a preliminary survey. Following a joint central government survey conducted from August 29 to September 4, the designation was expanded to cover all of Tongyeong-si after the total damage was found to meet the criteria for designation as a special disaster area.
Tongyeong-si qualifies for designation as a special disaster area when damage exceeds 10.25 billion won, or 2.5 times the 4.1 billion won damage threshold for national government support.
The joint central government survey involved 10 government agencies, including the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS), the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, and the Korea Forest Service (KFS), as well as private-sector experts.
Once an area is designated as a special disaster area, the central government provides additional funding for part of the recovery costs that would otherwise be borne by the local government, reducing the burden on local finances.
Affected residents receive disaster relief payments regardless of whether their area is designated as a special disaster area. Residents of special disaster areas also receive additional indirect support, including deferred national and local tax payments and reductions in public utility charges.
Yun Ho-jung, head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCHQ), said, "We will promptly establish recovery plans so that affected residents can return to their daily lives as soon as possible, and ensure that support for the affected areas is provided without disruption."

[email protected] Lee Bo-mi Reporter