Thousands of scouts from across the world have begun to relocate from their coastal camp in South Korea to inland locations ahead of a tropical storm that is expected to bring heavy rain and severe gusts.
Over 1,000 cars are being used to transport 37,000 scouts, largely teenagers, from the World Scout Jamboree, which began last week in Buan, a county on South Korea’s southwestern coast.
The vast majority will be lodged in Seoul, where officials have secured university dorms, government and corporate training facilities, and hotels. For more than a week, Tropical Storm Khanun has spun about Japan’s southwestern islands, dumping torrential rain, knocking out power, and damaging homes.
Emergency Evacuation: South Korea’s World Jamboree Site Clears Thousands Of Scouts Ahead Of Typhoon
Credit: AP
The Typhoon was 217 miles south of Kagoshima, a city on the southwestern tip of Japan’s major southern island of Kyushu, early Tuesday morning.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, Khanun had winds of 67 mph with gusts up to 89 mph and was moving slowly north. South Korea’s weather agency predicted the storm would strengthen to typhoon status before making an impact on the Korean Peninsula last Thursday morning.
Credit: AP
The evacuation of the scouts from the beachfront campground will likely take at least six hours. The Jamboree, attended by scouts from 158 nations, began last Wednesday on ground reclaimed from the sea.
Hundreds of participants have already been treated for heat-related illnesses amid one of the hottest summers in years in South Korea.
Concerns had been raised about having such a large number of people in such a large, treeless region with no cover from the summer heat. According to organisers, the encampment will not be utilised for any other event after the scouts leave.
The evacuations were announced after the World Organisation of the Scout Movement urged South Korea to rapidly transfer the scouts out of the storm line and give participants the required resources until they returned to their home countries.
Credit: AP
Due to the extreme heat, thousands of British and American scouts have already left the location. The British scouts, numbering approximately 4,500, were relocated to hotels downtown. In contrast, the American scouts, numbering approximately 1,000, were relocated to Camp Humphreys, a major US military station 45 miles south of the capital.
“This is the first time in more than 100 years of World Scout Jamborees that we have had to face such compounded challenges,” Ahmad Alhendawi, secretary general of the World Organisation of the Scout Movement, stated.
“It’s unfortunate that the inclement weather has forced us to change our plans.”
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Source: vtt.edu.vn