[News Today] Soldiers, volunteers help flood relief

[LEAD]
In the wake of record-breaking downpours, flood-ravaged communities remain buried under thick mud and debris.

With scorching heat returning and recovery crews stretched thin, the road to rebuilding looks long and uncertain.

But help is on the way — soldiers and volunteers from across the country are now on the ground, working tirelessly to clear the wreckage and aid in the recovery.

[REPORT]
Heavy rain caused a hillside to collapse in a village last weekend.

Mudslides buried homes, completely destroying a warehouse.

Household items were soaked and ruined.

Soldiers from the Army's 31st Division work nonstop, clearing mud through a narrow path barely wide enough for one person.

With no way to bring in heavy equipment, they remove the collapsed wall by hand.

Their faces are drenched in sweat in the extreme heat that followed the severe rainstorm.

Seo Bun-sun / Yeonggwang-gun resident
I feel so bad for them sweating away like that. They don't even accept the drinks I offer.
They are a big help.

Mud and debris litter this greenhouse.

Volunteers sweating profusely clear away the mud.

They carefully remove mud from the blueberries with their hands to save as many of them as they can.

They also carry away the remains of collapsed facilities one by one.

"One, two, heave!"

Jeong Seo-yeon / Volunteer
So many people do their best to help. It seems the work is progressing more quickly than I thought. It's good that I came here.

The latest rainstorm left roughly 500 houses and 7,000 hectares of farmland flooded in the Jeollanam-do region alone.

Recovery was impossible for residents alone, but soldiers and volunteers are now providing vital help.