Province taps 50 million won disaster relief fund after 'climate-killing prevention' task force identifies at-risk seniors
South Chungcheong Province has launched emergency measures to protect vulnerable residents from a record-breaking heat wave that has persisted for days.
The provincial government announced Wednesday it will commit 50 million won ($35,000) from its disaster relief fund to provide cooling supplies to 1,000 seniors enrolled in a customized elderly care service — one of the protective measures identified by its "climate-killing prevention" task force.
The support targets elderly people living alone and seniors with limited mobility who use the province's customized elderly care service. Provincial authorities said they will concentrate administrative resources to ensure the supplies reach recipients through local city and county offices by Aug. 14.
Items to be distributed include portable fans, cooling vests and ice neck bands. The province said it will tailor distribution to each recipient's health condition and living environment so they can safely maintain their daily routines during the heat.
Beyond simply handing out supplies, care workers under the customized elderly care service will visit recipients' homes in person to deliver the items while also checking on their health and well-being — allowing the province to monitor risks of heat-related illness and solitary death at the same time.
The province added that, as heat waves intensify with climate change, it plans to move away from reactive responses and continuously expand policies that proactively protect disaster-vulnerable populations.
"Heat waves are no longer a simple seasonal phenomenon — they are a life-threatening disaster," said Lee Jong-pil, director of the province's health and welfare bureau. "We will do our utmost to carry out without a hitch the various measures identified by the climate-killing prevention task force, so that vulnerable residents can spend the summer safely."
kwonhl@heraldcorp.com
