DIFFICULTIES IN RESTORATION EFFORTS

[Anchor Lead]

The four-day chuseok holiday is over, but some people cannot go back to their everyday lives. They are typhoon victims. They struggled and worked hard to restore their typhoon-hit properties throughout the holiday. But it appears it will take more time before they can return to normalcy.

[Pkg]

This entire village was flooded by typhoon Hinnamnor. Damage caused by the storm still remain despite restoration efforts throughout the chuseok holiday. Mounds of damaged household items and home appliances block the entrance of this pathway. Cleaning the inside of houses swamped by muddy water poses a greater challenge. From the floor heavily tainted with mud to damp, moldy walls, typhoon victims feel helpless, not knowing where to begin.

[Soundbite] Kim Jeong-deuk(Typhoon Victim) : "The rain damaged the floor heating system. It is terrible. I don't know what to do. I will have to build a new one."

Dozens of heavy equipment are mobilized every day and marines and volunteers have come to help. But there is still a long way to go. The emergency restoration rate in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province hovers around just some 40 percent.

[Soundbite] Nam Hee-young(Volunteer) : "Due to the massive flooding, we have to wash clothes and clean home appliances endlessly. A great deal of home appliances was inundated."

The village's community center is packed with tents. Nearly 200 victims are staying here, unable to return to their houses. Adding to the difficulty of losing their homes, some victims have to care for sick family members in the small tents.

[Soundbite] Kim Soon-jeong(Typhoon Victim) : "He is using a respirator in the tent. It is really difficult. I think it might be better for him to get hospitalized."

In the apartment where the underground car park was flooded and seven people were found dead, residents still rely on emergency water rationing, as water supply remains suspended. Meanwhile, POSCO has resumed the operations of the No. 3 and No. 4 furnaces at its typhoon-hit steel mill in Pohang, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province.