Flood disaster spurs grief, courage, and policy demands

It was a once-in-200-years downpour. Urban roads and cafés were instantly submerged under muddy floodwaters, while rural towns were either inundated by collapsing embankments or devastated by rockslides triggered by landslides. Over the past five days, the extreme rainfall across the country has claimed 19 lives and left nine missing as they were swept away by torrents or buried in mud. A man in his 70s is left in shock after losing his wife and son-in-law to a sudden, nocturnal downpour, and a mother sobs over the loss of her daughter in her 20s. They say there’s no end to the monsoon season, but the devastation left by this “monster rain” is even more tragic.

Amid this chaos, as damage co-occurred across regions too quickly for professional rescue teams to respond, ordinary citizens stepped up and risked their lives to save others. In Dong-gu, Gwangju, auto repair shop employees rescued a man in his 70s whose legs were trapped in a road that raging currents had engulfed. For 20 minutes, they fought to save him despite the powerful water flow that even a strong man could hardly withstand, as debris, tires, and even cars floated by. The employees remained calm, physically blocking all obstacles to shield the man from harm. The repair shop owner, who led the rescue effort, later said his legs were bruised and torn in places and that he felt as if he had swallowed a liter of rainwater but still felt proud to have saved a life.

In Songgye Village, Sancheong County, South Gyeongsang Province, which was under a complete evacuation order due to heavy rain, the village head swam through rising waters to rescue two stranded residents. In Byeongjeong Village, a 20-something grandson carried his 94-year-old grandmother, who had been thrown out of her home by a landslide, on his back for 700 meters to reach an ambulance, drawing attention and praise. In Cheongdo County, North Gyeongsang Province, a teacher on school patrol duty saved a man in his 60s who had been swept away by a river. In Ulsan’s Taehwa River, two people trapped in a flooded car were rescued thanks to a quick call from alert citizens. These courageous individuals, who proved the saying “No life is saved without a helping hand,” are a welcome ray of light after the storm.

In the areas ravaged by the monster downpour, rescue workers are now deploying heavy machinery in a massive search for the missing. Local residents are also helping by combing through debris in hopes of finding their neighbors. It is a desperate hope that survivors can still be found in time. Although the rainfall was unprecedented, there is growing criticism that landslide-prone areas were poorly managed and that some residents never received emergency alerts due to communication failures, exacerbating the damage. We must now support recovery in flood-affected areas and establish robust measures to mitigate climate disasters, ensuring that no one loses their home to extreme weather again.