Busan City is allocating 100 million won (approximately $100,000) from its disaster relief fund to protect vulnerable populations, including the elderly, disabled, and homeless, in response to the highest recorded temperatures in July and the first heatwave warning in the region.
On August 3, Busan officials announced that they will provide cooling costs and heat illness prevention supplies to senior centers, community welfare centers, disability support centers, and homeless shelters. The city recorded a peak temperature of 38.8 degrees Celsius (101.8 degrees Fahrenheit) on July 29, marking the highest July temperature since weather observations began in 1904. A heatwave warning was issued for the region on July 30, with heat advisories lasting for 13 days and tropical night warnings for 12 days.
This support is an emergency measure added to existing heatwave response plans. The aim is to reduce the financial burden of cooling costs for social welfare facilities primarily used by vulnerable citizens and to secure supplies for preventing heat-related illnesses. The amount of support varies based on the number of facilities, operating hours, and usage patterns.
For 225 senior centers, each will receive 200,000 won ($200) over two months, totaling 45 million won ($45,000). Busan City explained that this funding is intended to cover extended operating hours and the costs of running cooling equipment. Of the 55 community welfare centers, 53 will receive cooling supplies and heat illness prevention items, excluding two that do not operate as cooling centers.
Among these, 12 centers that will extend their operating hours beyond the usual 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. will receive an additional 250,000 won ($250) each over two months for cooling costs, totaling 600,000 won ($600) in support.
All 17 disability support centers will operate as cooling centers, but there are no plans for extended hours, so they will primarily receive heat illness prevention supplies instead of cooling cost support.
Three homeless shelters will receive between 4 million and 6 million won ($4,000 to $6,000) based on their operating structure. The Hope Lighthouse Comprehensive Support Center, which operates emergency sleeping arrangements 24 hours a day, will receive 6 million won ($6,000), while the Hope Dream Center and the Dream Comprehensive Support Center will receive 4 million won ($4,000) each. The city explained that the differences in funding amounts are based on usage hours and cooling needs.
A Busan City welfare policy official stated, “The Hope Lighthouse Comprehensive Support Center requires additional cooling cost support because it operates emergency sleeping arrangements around the clock.” However, the actual budget and supplies will be distributed gradually to each facility starting in early to mid-August. Each institution must determine the necessary items and quantities before proceeding with the purchasing process, and cooling costs will also be adjusted to align with the billing cycle for electricity usage.
The official added, “We expect to begin distributing necessary items in early to mid-August after confirming the required supplies for each institution, and we plan to provide cooling costs around the same time.”
The disaster relief fund will be administered through the Busan Community Chest of Korea. The legal basis for this support is outlined in Article 3-2, Items 9 and 12 of the Busan Disaster Relief Fund Ordinance, which allows the use of funds for cooling and heating costs for shelters and consumable supplies for vulnerable groups, as well as for projects deemed necessary by the mayor for disaster relief.
If the heatwave persists, additional support will be considered. A city official noted, “The disaster relief fund has sufficient resources to allow for additional support,” adding that if any of the senior centers, welfare centers, homeless shelters, or disability support centers require extended or expanded operations, further assistance could be reviewed. The effectiveness of the support will be monitored based on reports of heat-related illnesses and the status of heatwave impacts managed by the city’s Natural Disaster Division.
The welfare policy division plans to incorporate feedback from the Natural Disaster Division and facility staff to assess the effectiveness of the supply of prevention items and the expansion of cooling center operations, and will consider follow-up support if necessary. Busan City is also implementing measures to protect vulnerable groups, including checking on the well-being of elderly residents living alone, patrolling areas with high concentrations of homeless individuals, ensuring the safety of disabled persons, and inspecting cooling equipment at social welfare facilities.
When a heatwave warning is issued, support staff and disability activity assistants will check on the health status of vulnerable individuals through phone calls and visits. They will provide guidance on heatwave safety measures and report any emergencies to relevant agencies, including local governments and social welfare facilities, to ensure prompt action is taken.
Mayor Jeon Jae-soo stated, “The current heatwave poses a disaster situation that threatens the lives and safety of citizens,” emphasizing the need to quickly allocate necessary budgets and support to ensure that vulnerable groups, including the elderly, disabled, and homeless, can safely endure the summer.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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