Academia Sinica, the nation’s top research institute, published a report on Monday with suggestions on reducing damage caused by earthquakes.
To reduce the damage earthquakes can cause, the report suggested upgrading older buildings to better resist earthquakes, improving the warning system for earthquakes and enhancing the ability to evacuate residents and accommodate evacuees when an earthquake strikes.
The report also suggested improvements in the ability of the government and enterprises to operate in the event of an earthquake, as well as promoting education on proper earthquake response among the public.
Taiwan is prone to earthquake damage for several reasons, including its location, its development of urban areas and its large number of older buildings, the report said.
Taiwan is located where the Eurasian tectonic plate and the Philippine Sea plate meet, and earthquakes often result where the two plates come into contact with each other.
Safety is at stake, with people crowded into urban areas, which leads to a concentration of buildings, transportation networks and utility pipelines in these areas, according to the report.
Losses will be highly likely to result in the event of an earthquake, as about 1.33 million, or 35 percent, of the 3.78 million houses in Taiwan are more than 30 years old.
About 940,000 of the old buildings are in New Taipei City, many of which are situated in communities with narrow alleys.
Serious casualties and damage are likely to result when a magnitude 7 shallow earthquake with a hypocenter up to 70km below ground strikes, the report said.
About 22,000 earthquakes hit Taiwan every year on average, with more than 600 of them causing vibrations that people are able to feel, the report said.
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