A ShelterBox Response Team is on its way to South Korea after the heaviest rains in a century caused widespread devastation.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters thousands of people fled their homes in fear of flooding and landslides when Seoul and the provinces of Gyeonggi and Gangwon were hit by torrential downpours last week.

An international ShelterBox Response Team will work with local Rotarians to assess whether there is an unmet need for emergency shelter for families who have lost their homes.

Kim Kihyon Kim, an SRT member since 2009, said: ‘This is an extremely difficult time for people in Seoul and the surrounding areas. Floods and landslides have damaged thousands of homes. The authorities are undertaking a huge rescue and cleanup operation and ShelterBox want to ensure that families have access to the shelter and basic equipment they need to survive.’

Rain has soaked much of the country for the past month and the Korean meteorological administration reported that 12 inches of rain fell in the capital on Wednesday July 27, the biggest one-day amount since 1998 and the third highest ever.

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