Muddy waters surge to second floor in Geoje as record rain hits South Korea

Geoje City, South Korea, experienced unprecedented rainfall, leading to widespread flooding that claimed one life and injured two people. Residents captured dramatic scenes of the deluge, with videos showing cars being swept away by strong currents and floodwaters surging up to the second story of buildings.

One viral video depicted a passenger car succumbing to the powerful flow on a Geoje street before coming to a halt. The uploader shared a message from their parents, long-time Geoje residents, who described the rainfall as the heaviest they had witnessed in their 70 years. They urged fellow residents to stay informed and monitor the situation closely.

“

My parents in Geoje said they've never seen this much rain in their 70 years.

Another clip revealed four vehicles entangled in the floodwaters. Residents were seen peering anxiously from second-floor windows at the chaotic scene below. In the same location, water from a street drain erupted, sending muddy brown water high into the air, reaching the second floor and inundating a convenience store on the first level.

“

I've never seen it rain this much. Emergency alerts have been coming since dawn, it's chaos.

Locals shared their experiences online, describing continuous emergency alerts and widespread disruption. One resident noted that despite efforts to block their apartment's underground parking from flooding, water was still seeping in, comparing the scale of the inundation to the aftermath of Typhoon Maemi. Another visitor reported a power outage during their trip to Geoje.

The extreme weather event included a landslide in Okpo-dong early on the 17th, which partially buried the first floor of an apartment building. The cumulative rainfall in Geoje from August 15th to the morning of the 17th reached 782.5 mm, with an hourly intensity of up to 124.5 mm overnight. In response, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety activated a Level 1 emergency response at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters.

“

Our apartment's underground parking is flooding despite residents trying to block the water. The whole neighborhood is submerged, the worst since Typhoon Maemi.