"We will not forget the precious hearts of volunteers who sent donations and supplies from all over the country and visited the site in person to lend a hand, and we will do our utmost in recovery and support so that residents can return to their daily lives as soon as possible." - Geoje Mayor Byun Kwang-yong

Representing Geoje City, which suffered heavy damage from record-breaking torrential rains during Liberation Day weekend, Geoje Mayor Byun Kwang-yong expressed gratitude on the 23rd, saying, "Thanks to the warmth pouring in from all over the country, it is giving great strength to the daily recovery of the affected residents." Following the heavy rain, more than 3.5 billion won in donations, some 380,000 relief items, and 15.8 billion won in disaster support funds have been provided to residents.

According to Geoje City, as of the 21st, 2.01 billion won (317 cases) in donations had been raised through the South Gyeongsang Province Chapter of the Korean Red Cross. At the Community Chest of Korea South Gyeongsang Province, 1 billion won (1,417 cases) was received by the 15th when fundraising ended, and the Hometown Love Donation, designated for flood recovery, also exceeded 500 million won (4,735 cases), meeting its target.

Relief supplies sent from all over the country were also delivered one after another to the damaged sites. As of the 21st, relief supplies sent by about 120 entities—including corporations, organizations, public institutions, local governments, and individuals—totaled 381,484 items, worth 1.1 billion won. Disaster relief goods such as relief kits, boots, and work gloves, along with household goods like towels and wet wipes, and food items such as bottled water, cup ramen, and nutritional porridge, made up the majority. To date, 74% of all supplies, or 282,317 items, have been distributed.

Donations and Hometown Love Donations will also be put into the livelihood stability and recovery of affected residents according to established procedures. The 500 million won in Hometown Love Donations will be executed through demand surveys by recovery-related departments, deliberation by the Hometown Love Fund Operation Deliberation Committee, and resolution by the city council. Voluntary donations gathered through the Korean Red Cross will continue until October 15th. The 1 billion won in relief funds from the Community Chest of Korea South Gyeongsang Province, for which fundraising has ended, will be distributed to affected residents after deliberation by the allocation committee.

The helping hands of volunteers who rushed from all over the country were also a great strength to the recovery. As of the 21st, 14,321 volunteers from 343 organizations participated in the Geoje flood recovery, lending a hand in restoring damaged farms, houses, and stores, removing soil and gravel, and organizing the damaged sites. Warm sharing transcending regions and ties continued, such as a father and daughter who traveled a long way from Seoul reconnecting with a volunteer they had met at the past Sancheong flood site, and a volunteer from Gangwon Province participating in recovery work every day and even taking on the role of team leader coordinating the work of newly deployed volunteers.

Geoje City disbursed 15.8 billion won in disaster support funds for private property damage to citizens affected by the extreme downpour before the Chuseok holiday. The support funds were calculated in accordance with the "Regulations on Standards for Burdening Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Costs" and related criteria.

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