[Editorial Rapid Response Needed for Heavy Snowfall

The damage from the heavy snows over the past two weeks in the Honam and Jeju regions is snowballing. It is particularly worrisome that a heavy snow warning has been issued for South Jeolla and snow is supposed to continue through the weekend. Stables, henhouses, and greenhouses have been destroyed, and big factories like the Samsung Electronics plant have been forced to stop operations because they have been unable get the parts they need. More than 1,000 schools have been closed, and people have been very inconvenienced by the closure of sea and air ports. It hurts to watch farmers distraught at the sight of collapsed greenhouses when times were hard enough for them already.

The damage has been so bad not only because of the record snowfall, but also because of the freezing temperatures and strong winds. Citizens, civil servants, police, and the military are doing restoration work, but there are many difficulties because the snow just keeps piling. Sadly, one civil servant even lost his life clearing snow.

The government does seem a little late in announcing that it will offer support similar to what is available when a region is declared a "special disaster area." Going through the procedures of declaring an area a disaster zone is not what is important. What is needed is timely prevention and response measures. The other day, close to 1,000 vehicles were stranded in the snow on the Honam Expressway, leaving passengers cold and afraid. So what if traffic accidents and a snow blitz happened at the same time; there is just no excuse for a repeat of what happened on the Seoul-Busan Expressway last March. For how long will officials rationalize their insensitivity to disasters by saying certain ones are "beyond government control."

In June of last year the government streamlined disaster and safety management by creating the National Emergency Management Agency, saying it would be prepared for climactic natural events. There needs to be a review of whether the system was working right this time. One would hope the National Assembly maintains a minimum level of decency towards the people, since it is not even calling a session of the "standing committee on heavy snow response."

The Hankyoreh, 23 December 2005.

[Translations by Seoul Selection]