If heavy snow paralyzes a highway and hydrochloric acid spills, too... Government stages response drill

[Financial News]  How should authorities respond if a tanker truck carrying hydrochloric acid and a large bus collide in a chain reaction on a snow-covered highway, leaving dozens of vehicles stranded? The government is launching a joint exercise with relevant agencies to prepare for complex disasters, including major traffic accidents and hazardous chemical spills caused by heavy winter snow.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) said on the 11th that it would conduct an on-site response drill near Chiak Rest Area on the Central Expressway, simulating a chain-reaction crash and hydrochloric acid spill caused by heavy snow.
About 130 people from 14 public, private-sector and military organizations, including MOIS, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Korea Expressway Corporation, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, Wonju-si, police and fire services, and military units, will take part in the drill. Around 60 pieces of equipment, including snowplows, recovery vehicles and helicopters, will also be deployed.
The drill assumes a heavy snow warning has been issued across Gangwon State, with snow accumulating at 3 centimeters per hour and total snowfall reaching 20 centimeters. In the scenario, a tanker truck carrying hydrochloric acid and a large bus, among other vehicles, are involved in a chain-reaction crash near Chiak Rest Area on the Central Expressway, causing major traffic congestion and leaving vehicles stranded.
The government will review the response and recovery process, including traffic control, rescue and emergency medical assistance, cleanup work following the hydrochloric acid spill, delivery of relief supplies to stranded people, and the mobilization of snow-removal equipment and personnel. The exercise will focus on assessing how quickly the relevant agencies can respond and work together when a traffic accident and a hazardous chemical spill occur amid heavy snow.
MOIS said that temperatures and precipitation this winter are expected to be above normal, respectively, due to the effects of El Niño, while the influx of cold air as a continental high-pressure system expands could increase temperature variability and bring heavy snow to some areas.
Because of the drill, traffic will be completely blocked from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. that day on the mainline section of the Central Expressway near Chiak Rest Area in both directions. Vehicles traveling through the section must detour via the plaza area of Chiak Rest Area.
Kim Kwang-yong, head of MOIS's Disaster and Safety Management Headquarters, said, "Through realistic drills, we will address shortcomings in our response procedures. If a disaster caused by actual heavy snowfall occurs, we will respond swiftly and do our utmost to prevent casualties and protect the lives and property of the public."

[email protected] Lee Bomi Reporter