Designation of Special Disaster Areas As Early As Sept. 12

The government will designate areas hit hardest by Typhoon Rusa as special disaster zones as early as September 12, and though somewhat delayed, the designation will be finished before Sept. 18.

After deliberating on revision to the law on countermeasures on natural disasters, in an extraordinary cabinet meeting, President Kim Dae-jung ordered the designation of special disaster zones, for which the government would provide financial assistance, should be made through a clear and objective selection process. He also added, spokesperson for the Presidential Blue House Park Seon-suk said, that the government should provide as much assistance to those areas as possible, while it should pay keen attention to areas hit hard but excluded.

Lee Geun-sik, Minister of Government Administration and Home affairs, reported in the meeting that after the joint investigation by government agencies to be completed by Sept. 12 and the review of the Anti-Disaster Committee, it would suggest the designation of special disaster areas. He also said that after mapping out the repair plan by Sept. 18, it would notify related government agencies and government offices in cities and provinces of the plan.

The government decided to prepare fundamental countermeasures against floods by year’s end after close examination of problems which occurred in torrential rains and typhoon-caused floods this time.

In a vice-ministerial meeting presided over by Minister Kim Jin-pyo of the Office of Government Policy Coordination, the government decided to finish emergency repair work to three railroad lines, five expressways and 42 national highways closed to traffic by Sept. 15 in order to minimize heavy traffic jam during Korean Thanksgiving holidays.

Dong-Ki Sung esprit@donga.com