An emergency fundraising campaign has been launched to help residents in southern South Korea recover from devastating torrential rains and restore damaged communities.

The Community Chest of Korea announced Tuesday it will conduct a special fundraising drive through Sept. 15 to support residents and areas affected by the heavy rains that have battered the southern regions.

Torrential rain has been falling across southern areas including South Gyeongsang Province, Busan and Jeju since Saturday, causing casualties and widespread facility damage. According to the Ministry of Interior and Safety's Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, cumulative rainfall as of 6 a.m. Tuesday had reached 956.1 millimeters in Geoje and 766.9 millimeters in Tongyeong, both in South Gyeongsang Province. Geoje recorded a peak hourly rainfall of 124.5 millimeters, which the Korea Meteorological Administration assessed as the kind of downpour that occurs once every 200 years.

A road in Okpo-dong, Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, is submerged by floodwaters. [Yonhap]
A road in Okpo-dong, Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, is submerged by floodwaters. [Yonhap]

The storms have so far killed one person and injured four, with authorities tallying 2,574 cases of damage including flooded homes and roads and uprooted trees. A total of 564 people from 318 households across nine cities and districts in Busan, South Gyeongsang Province and Jeju evacuated temporarily, and 248 have yet to return home. Power outages and water supply disruptions continue to affect Geoje and Tongyeong in South Gyeongsang Province.

The Community Chest of Korea plans to collect cash donations and goods through its central office and participating regional chapters nationwide until Sept. 15, then distribute them to affected residents and communities.

Donations can be made through dedicated accounts at five banks: KB Kookmin Bank, the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation, Shinhan Bank, Woori Bank and Hana Bank. Online fundraising pages on Naver Happy Bean, Kakao Together and Cherry will go live Tuesday afternoon.

The Community Chest of Korea has run special fundraising campaigns each time a major natural disaster such as heavy rains has struck, channeling the proceeds toward helping victims rebuild their daily lives. It raised 12.9 billion won ($9.12 million) to support victims of the 2023 floods and about 17.5 billion won for those affected by the 2025 floods, with all funds directed to disaster-hit areas and displaced residents.


terry@heraldcorp.com