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Central, local leaders taking typhoon seriously

Having learned a bitter lesson from the tragic events of villages buried under mudslides and lost lives and property because of flooding brought by Typhoon Morakot in early August, central and local governments yesterday geared up to take all possible precautionary measures as Typhoon Parma approaches.

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) flew to Taitung County yesterday morning to inspect anti-typhoon measures and said the central government would make every effort to assist local governments with evacuating residents and other measures.

He also ordered all ministers to cancel their holiday plans for the Mid-Autumn Festival yesterday to focus on preparations for the typhoon.

“People should not fight nature or compete with it for land. Disaster prevention is more important than rescue work, and the central and local governments should work together closely,” he said.

Ma was forced to reshuffle the Cabinet earlier last month after his government faced criticism over its slow reaction to the damage caused by Morakot.

Then-premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) resigned to take responsibility for the delayed evacuation of people living in mountain villages.

Ma said yesterday that the government would be more efficient in disaster prevention ahead of the approaching typhoon, while urging local residents to follow evacuation orders.

Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) inspected Kaohsiung and Pingtung counties yesterday, while Vice Premier Eric Chu (朱立倫) was assigned to inspect measures in the Taipei, Keelung and Yilan areas.

Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Wu-hsiung (陳武雄) monitored the situation in Taichung, Changhua and Nantou counties, while Vice Minister of the Interior Chien Tai-lang (簡太郎) was responsible for Yunlin, Chiayi and Tainan counties.

Minister of the Interior Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺), meanwhile, is serving as the commander of the ad hoc Central Emergency Operation Center (CEOC), which was set up yesterday after the issuance of the sea warning for Typhoon Parma earlier in the morning.

Wu urged government officials to stay alert and prepare for the worst.

“The military forces and rescue team resources have been well deployed. Local governments should all gear themselves up to minimize damage,” Wu said as he inspected Kaohsiung City Government’s emergency operation center.

He also gave a positive answer to Pingtung County Commissioner Tsao Chi-hung’s (曹啟鴻) request that Taiwan Railway Administration temporarily suspend its bridge construction in the county’s Linbian Township (林邊) during any potential flooding as the project was regarded by some as the main cause of the flooding in August.

Meanwhile, Chu stressed the importance of enhancing cooperation between central and local governments.

The Disaster Prevention and Protection Act (災害防救法) stipulates that local governments are in charge, but central government bears the responsibility to support local governments, Chu said.

“Previously, local governments sought help from the armed forces via the central government. But now, there are already armed forces deployed in counties and cities ahead of the typhoon that are available to take orders from local governments,” Chu said.

Because military personnel were dispatched around the country on a standby basis, local governments could contact commanders of each division directly without having to communicate first with the ministry and the CEOC, director of the Ministry of National Defense’s Joint Warfare Planning Department Hau Yi-chi (郝以知) told a press conference at the CEOC yesterday afternoon.

The ranks of military personnel stationed at the CEOC have been upgraded and additional staff will be stationed there to help coordinate government agencies, supply equipment, dispatch personnel and pass on information, the ministry said.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CNA
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