Korea Land & Housing Corporation (LH) said on the 5th that it will stockpile 100 disaster-response modular housing units in preparation for major disasters such as wildfires and torrential rain. The plan is to provide swift temporary housing for people displaced by disasters and to install the units on-site within seven days at most after a disaster occurs.
LH has supported emergency housing by using vacant rental homes near affected areas whenever disasters struck, starting with the 2017 Pohang earthquake. The cumulative number of units supported so far is 1,441. During the large wildfire in North Gyeongsang Province last year, it also supplied 120 rental homes to people displaced by the disaster. However, in non-urban areas, there were not enough vacant public rental homes nearby, limiting sufficient housing support.
To address these limitations, LH, together with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, launched the "disaster-response modular housing stockpiling project" in the second half of last year. The project secures modular housing in advance of disasters and, when damage occurs, immediately transports and installs the units on-site to provide temporary housing for people displaced by the disaster.
LH plans to complete stockpiling 100 modular housing units by the end of this month. For rapid response, they will be distributed across the Sejong and Daegu regions, and installation will be completed within seven days after a disaster following a needs survey of people displaced by the disaster and consultations with local governments.
Lee Seong-hun, LH president, said, "When unexpected disasters strike, the most urgent need is to quickly provide a housing space where people who have lost their homes can live with peace of mind," adding, "As major disasters such as torrential rain and wildfires become more frequent due to recent climate change, we will build a preemptive housing support system to serve as a reliable housing safety net in moments of crisis."