Final Blog- Week 16

   

     The most damaging and dangerous natural hazard that South Korea has had to face for many years and continues till today are heavy floods. These events happen because of the main factor of the constant change in global warming and climate change. But many other factors contribute to these floods such as intense monsoon rains, overwhelming drainage systems and rapidly urbanized areas with a lot of concrete and basement housing. South Korea also has a lot of mountainous terrain which worsens for the flash floods. Floods occur the most during the summer from the months between June to September. In 2011, South Korea faced its worst flooding yet with the lives of 32 people being taken and some missing. The flooding occurred in the city of Seoul and a town near up north. In just over 17 hours, about 15 inches of rain fell in Seoul and more than 10 inches fell on Chuncheon. Flooding had begun to occur in subway stations and bursted out of sewers. According to a city disaster official, about 800 homes were flooded and 23 roads were closed throughout the city.


    I am addressing the flooding as a priority because it is a harmful natural hazard for South Korea and climate change is the main cause for that. Since the floods occur during monsoon season, it is difficult for researchers to find out how much more effective the next monsoon season will be with so many unpredictable rain falls. Heavy rain falls and typhoons are the main cause for heavy flooding. Floods are a huge harm on not just the people but its environment. Floods cause major economic damage, infrastructure failure such as roads and powerlines, agriculture, social disruption and many more. 

    Some recommendations that I would do to address the floods would be to prioritize first on the environment because better infrastructure would help protect the people more. There are many homes that are built in a basement and that poses more of a risk for those that live there so I would recommend making those homes built to withstand the water coming in. It would be difficult to ask everyone who lives in those homes to move to a house that is not underground and many people rely on those homes for better financial stability since they have cheaper rent so it would be better to create a sort of barrier or better drainage system around the homes that are underground so they would not be affected by floods. Another mitigation would be creating advanced warning systems for everyone to access without needing a phone or social media. Many outdoor warning sirens should be installed throughout every city so that if a flood were to rise everyone would be able to prepare themselves. Another recommendation would be to enforce practice evacuation drills in schools so students can learn on what practices should be done in order to be prepared for a flood and they could use those techniques in the future as well. 


    Areas that I would prioritize first would be in urban centers such as Seoul, Busan and Incheon. These areas are at most risk because of their environments such as their concrete landscapes and their proximity to rivers. In Seoul, more specifically in the southern districts, they are more prone to floods because the infrastructure does not drain the water fast enough into the Han River. Busan and Incheon have a high population density and their extensive development near rivers increase their risks in districts such as Dong and Bupyeong in Incheon and Jung, Jin, Dongnae in Busan. Even though there is no location in South Korea where it is 100% completely safe from floods, the area that would be less affected from a flood would be Ulsan. I would choose Ulsan to construct a house because according to a flood risk analysis, Ulsan is less prone to flooding and is on the lower ranking. Ulsan has a mountainous terrain which makes the city elevated but that obviously does not stop it from being at risk from landslides but is still one of the safest. Also Ulsan is the country's most industrialized capital meaning many big companies invest in enhanced drainage, flood controlling pump stations and storm water run off management. 


    In conclusion, floods have always been and continue to be a huge risk for South Korea, unfortunately no area in all of South Korea is actually safe from that. Every city and district is at risk for these floods. But fortunately, the government is creating more mitigation to help prevent the increase of floods and are creating ways for people to prepare in such situations. Floods are a creation from heavy rains and typhoons which come from the increase of global warming and climate change but unless not only South Korea but every country in the world does nothing to help address that then it can only worsen from here.

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