Even though people have been relocated, riverbeds still need dredging. Otherwise, the lives of residents in the lower reaches of rivers will still be threatened.
When dealing with devastated villages in high-risk areas, the government cannot just relocate residents by force. Since Aboriginal history, culture, community and life are all correlated, the government must carry out a comprehensive assessment and engage in dialogue with residents before it makes a decision.
The government could first build prefabricated houses in safe places near the original Aboriginal communities, where the disaster victims would stay for a year. When their quality of living is secured, the government could form an ad hoc committee to discuss the relocation of villages.
The central government must consult with local governments as soon as possible on which rivers need to be dredged, whether destroyed roads and bridges should be rebuilt and which villages are unsuitable for living.
Otherwise it will be difficult for local governments to move on to the third phase of post-disaster reconstruction.
The government should be more efficient in its rescue efforts. This is not something that can be done merely by replacing the National Fire Agency with a disaster relief and prevention agency, by promoting the accomplishments of rescue work by the government and nongovernmental organizations, or by holding more international press conferences to explain delays in the relief effort.
Lin Wan-i is a professor in the Department of Social Work at National Taiwan University.
TRANSLATED BY TED YANG
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