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THE CAMPAIGN FOR THE ACCOUNTABILITY OF AMERICAN BASES (CAAB) |
YONGSAN GARRISON, South Korea — The most powerful typhoon in South
Korea’s history caused $4.5 million in damage to Area IV bases, U.S.
military officials said Friday. Typhoon Maemi, which struck the southeast portion of the country Sept. 12
and Sept. 13, killed almost 100 people and caused billions of dollars damage.
No injuries were reported on U.S. military installations but officials now
have finished the cleanup and tabulated the costs to base and private
property. According to initial estimates by the Area IV Directorate of Resource
Management, the 100 mph winds and almost 10 inches of rain caused significant
damage on bases from Waegwan to Pusan. The bulk of the damage — to the tune of $3.5 million — was done at Camp
Hialeah, the Pusan Storage Facility and Kimhae Air Base. Parts of the 20th Area Support Group dining facility and an AAFES storage
building were damaged and about 50 trees were blown over, officials said. At the Pusan Storage Facility, the 837th Transportation Battalion’s guard
tower was blown over, causing minor damage to Pier 8, officials said. The 4th Quartermaster Detachment’s parachute rigging facility might have
sustained the heaviest hit, the damage report found. A 100-foot parachute
drying tower toppled onto the building, crushing the roof and resulting in the
destruction of several parachutes and pieces of rigging equipment. Officials put the damage costs at Army facilities in Taegu at almost
$700,000. Two walls at Camp Walker were damaged; in one case, parts of an 8-foot high
perimeter wall toppled, causing damage to Korean businesses on the other side,
the damage report said.