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Damage to life: 184 (124 deaths and 60 missing) |
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Damage to property: total of 5,469.6 billion won |
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Sufferers: 27,619 households and 88,626 people |
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Flood status: 17,046 buildings and 143,261 ha of farmlands |
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The nation’s major backbone networks (e.g., roads, railways, electricity, communication facilities) and infrastructure for the living either collapsed or were paralyzed. |
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| On August 23, 2002, a tropical rainstorm developed in the sea 1,800 km northeast of Guam in the Mariana Is., West Pacific. On August 28 and 30, the rainstorm’s central atmospheric pressure became 950 hPa, marking its transformation into a typhoon. |
It passed through the southern sea of Gagosima [鹿兒島] in Gyusu [九州], Japan, and at the 58 km point east of Seoguipo, Jeju, at around 12:00 hours. On August 31, it shifted its direction and started moving northward. At 15:30 hours on the same day, it arrived at the southern coast of Goheung Peninsula, Jeollanamdo.
It then passed through Suncheon in Jeollanamdo; Namwon and Muju in Jeollabukdo; Youngdong, Boeun, and Chungju in Chungcheongbukdo; and Pyeongchang, Inje, Gangneung, and Sokcho in Gangwondo. At around 15:00 hours on September 1, its tropical atmospheric pressure weakened at the 130 km point northeast of Sokcho and then disappeared. |
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Since meteorological observation began in the Korean peninsula in 1904, this typhoon has been recorded to produce the heaviest daily rainfall of 870.5 mm (in Gangneung), much heavier than the 547.5 mm recorded in Jangheung, Jeonnam in September 1981.
Its maximum instantaneous wind speed when it arrived at the Korean peninsula was 39.7 m/s, and its lowest central atmospheric pressure was 970 hPa. It was thus weaker than Sara, Selma, and Maemi, which ravaged Korea in 1959, 1987, and 2003, respectively. |
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| In general, typhoons move fast on the prevailing westerlies along the trough of the atmospheric pressure of the North Pacific anticyclone, which is spread east and west of the Korean peninsula, but as there were no prevailing westerlies when Rusa arrived, it slowly passed through the Korean peninsula. Moreover, air with low temperature and much moisture joined the rain and cloud band on the upper part of Mt. Taebaek, so it rained heavily in the eastern part of Gangwondo, causing greater damage than any other typhoon in Korea’s history has. |
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Home > Disaster Reports > Typhoons > Rusa
Information : Administrative Management Division / Hyun-jin Choi / 02-2100-5128