In 2017, a major earthquake occurred in Pohang, Gyeongbuk province. The 5.4 magnitude earthquake caused much damage resulting in many victims. Due to collapsed houses, many people lived in gyms. Several years have passed since then, but there are still many people who have not returned home.
There are still about 200 tents left at Heunghae Gym in Pohang. In a village outside of Heunghae, some people whose homes incurred severe damage live in prefabricated houses. The living conditions are very poor. They don’t have a basic heating system. So the victims usually use hot water to keep warm.
The apartments where they once lived have yet to be fixed. Some houses have severe cracks in the walls, so the rain leaks through. There are even places where the whole ceiling has completely collapsed. The government judged that the damage to these houses was minor. Based on this judgment, the government paid them only one million won as compensation for damages. Victims said they were in a difficult financial situation to repair the houses because the compensation was too small.
The earthquake in Pohang was triggered by geothermal power generation, which was part of a national project. Reception of damage did not begin until last September. There are still many people who cannot afford to enter public rental houses provided by the government. As disasters become commonplace and the scale increases, there are some suggestions that assistance should be prioritized according to the period of living in the shelter. In addition, there are some suggestions for comfortable and insulated stationary homes.
At the time of the Pohang earthquake, many people were worried about the safety of the victims. They also raised some money to assist them, including many celebrities. However, despite help from many people, the victims are still living in danger. It is time to pay attention to proper compensation and the recovery operations for victims.
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