Coupang said on the 20th that it provided 200 sets of emergency relief supplies, the "Coupang Hope Box," to people displaced in Geoje, South Gyeongsang, after record heavy downpours. The supplies were delivered on the 19th.
Since the 15th, torrential rain along the southern coast of South Gyeongsang has triggered landslides and flooding of dwellings and roads in places including Geoje and Tongyeong. As of 6 a.m. on the 19th, 1,048 residents in the affected areas had temporarily evacuated, and among them, 478 were staying in private lodging facilities, schools, social welfare centers, and village halls. Coupang delivered Hope Boxes stockpiled at the Sejong fulfillment center to about 200 of those who evacuated to temporary shelters.
The Hope Box contains 10 daily essentials, including a storage box, a quilted comforter, pillows, towels, socks, compressed wet wipes, toothpaste and toothbrush, a toiletry pouch, and a foldable three-tier mattress. A key feature is that it includes mattresses and bedding, which are bulky and typically difficult to supply in standard emergency relief.
Coupang's on-site flood relief is the second effort, following the delivery last month of 100 Hope Box sets to Uiseong, North Gyeongsang. A representative of Coupang's social contribution office said, "We will continue to quickly assess on-the-ground conditions when disasters occur and move to provide relief using our logistics infrastructure."