Resident Evacuation Support Team to Be Deployed for First Time for Heavy Snow; Heavy-Snow Disaster Alerts to Expand Nationwide

[Financial News]  At 6 a.m. on July 19 in Bonghyeon-myeon, Yeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, the Resident Evacuation Support Team detected ground tremors and signs of erosion on a mountainside and evacuated residents from two households at risk of being buried by a landslide to a senior citizens’ center. On the same day in Yecheon, also in North Gyeongsang Province, the team visited homes one by one and helped 104 residents in eight villages across five townships evacuate in advance.
The Resident Evacuation Support Team, which helped residents evacuate from areas hit by this summer’s torrential rains, will be deployed for the first time this winter to respond to heavy snow.
The government will operate a nationwide Resident Evacuation Support Team of 18,491 people and has designated 5,154 residents who could become isolated by heavy snow or face the risk of structural collapses as priority evacuees. Heavy-snow disaster text alerts will also be expanded nationwide, and the government will provide 20 billion won in special disaster grants for responses to heavy snow and cold waves, up 5 billion won from last year.
On the 11th, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced its “Comprehensive Measures for Natural Disasters in Winter 2026–2027.” It designated the period from the 15th through March 15 next year as the winter natural-disaster response period and will issue heavy-snow and cold-wave crisis alerts at the “Attention” level. The ministry will maintain a 24-hour situation-monitoring system with local governments and conduct advance inspections of vulnerable facilities when hazardous weather is forecast. It also plans to activate the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters proactively if a disaster occurs.
The Korea Meteorological Administration forecast that temperatures this winter would be similar to or higher than the seasonal average, but that temperatures would fluctuate widely and some areas could receive heavy snowfall.

The Resident Evacuation Support Team is made up of residents familiar with local conditions, including village and neighborhood heads and members of voluntary disaster-prevention teams. It identifies in advance residents who may have difficulty evacuating on their own, such as older adults and people with disabilities, and, when danger arises, visits them to guide them to safety or help move them to a safe place. This summer, too, teams numbering 97,641 people were formed across 229 cities, counties and districts nationwide. They identified 26,189 priority evacuees in advance and focused on evacuating residents first when signs of danger emerged to prevent casualties. The government strengthened these proactive evacuations and advance inspections of hazardous facilities, among other measures, and deaths from storms and floods this summer fell 96% from last year’s 25.
At a Cabinet meeting on the 27th of last month, President Lee Jae Myung praised public officials involved in disaster response. After Interior and Safety Minister Yun Ho-jung explained that the government had formed a “Ready, Set, Go” system, operating a Resident Evacuation Support Team of about 100,000 people who prepare and stand by for dangerous situations and evacuate immediately when needed, Lee said, “It’s a matter of whether dozens of people live or die, and I’m grateful for your hard work and for doing a good job.”
The government will also apply this advance-evacuation system to winter responses to heavy snow. The number of residents subject to monitoring in vulnerable structures and areas at risk of isolation, including residential greenhouses and mountain villages, has risen from 25,446 last year to 39,532 this year. The number of priority evacuees among them—including older adults, people with disabilities and those with underlying conditions—has increased from 4,353 to 5,154.
The government will also designate and closely monitor 9,240 disaster-prone areas—479 more than last year—where structural collapses, icy conditions or isolation are a concern.

The system for alerting residents to heavy-snow risks will also be strengthened. Heavy-snow disaster text alerts, piloted last year in 101 cities, counties and districts, including in the Seoul metropolitan area, South Chungcheong and North Jeolla provinces, will be expanded this year to all 227 cities, counties and districts nationwide. Alerts will warn of traffic-accident risks when newly fallen snow reaches 5 centimeters and of structural-collapse risks when it reaches 20 centimeters. In Gangwon Province and Ulleung County in North Gyeongsang Province, the threshold for warning of structural-collapse risks is 30 centimeters.
Snow-removal capacity will also be expanded. This year’s special disaster grant funding has risen from 15 billion won last year to 20 billion won. Funding for heavy-snow response remains unchanged at 10 billion won, while funding for cold-wave response has doubled, from 5 billion won to 10 billion won.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and local governments will stockpile 1.19 million tons of de-icer—126% of the 946,000 tons used last year—and secure 48,640 snow-removal machines. They will establish an emergency de-icer supply network with private companies and spread de-icer in advance, 1–2 hours before snowfall. Night patrols to guard against black ice on roads will also be stepped up.
Protection for people vulnerable to cold waves will also be strengthened. More than 37,000 daily-life support workers will check on older adults and seniors living alone, among others, and provide cold-weather supplies. The number of cold-wave shelters will increase from more than 53,000 last year to more than 66,000 this year. The government will also operate 342 emergency shelters open 24 hours a day and 217 emergency sleeping facilities for people living in tiny single-room units and people experiencing homelessness.
Interior and Safety Minister Yun Ho-jung said, “This winter could be more difficult than usual for vulnerable groups, so we will work with the relevant agencies to ensure that our response system for heavy snow and cold waves has no gaps.”


[email protected] Lee Bomi Reporter