Tue, Dec 28, 1999 page8

• Preserving 921 quake mementos

  • Chang Jing-sen
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  After the 921 earthquake, bulldozers have been speedily demolishing damaged buildings, roads and bridges. People might think these actions are to speed up the reconstruction pace in the quake-stricken areas. However, most of this bulldozing seem aimless because the reconstruction blueprint has not yet been designed.

  Many scholars and community workers have expressed serious concerns about rebuilding the afflicted areas because the rapid clearing by the bulldozers is wrecking the hope of reconstruction projects.

  If some relics of the quake could be preserved, they might serve as an important restoration source for central Taiwan. I would like to offer four reasons why the authorities should save the remains of the 921 earthquake.

  First, the remnants are of great historic value. When I was in graduate school, I once read a book on the seismological history during the Japanese colonial era. The book thoroughly recorded the 1935 earthquake in Tunzuchiao (墩子腳).

  Using the book as a guide, I traveled all over the area trying to find any traces of the quake. The only things I found were a monument and the urban development that followed the catastrophe. Without the book, this devastating 1935 earthquake, which claimed more than 15,000 lives and changed the destinies of numerous villages and families, would be lost in the mists of time.

  The 921 earthquake was without doubt one of the most important historical events for countless individuals, families, villages and even the entire nation. If we fail to make any effort to preserve the vestiges of the disaster, we would be doing a great disservice to the next generation as well as the victims.

  Second, the remnants are of great academic value. The Che-lungpu (車籠埔) fault line, which caused the most severe damage this time, once appeared in a historical article, but was not researched in depth. The tremblors of 921 quake generated continuous ruptures and caused the ground to rise up to seven meters in some areas. Near Nantou County's mountain areas, where the quake's epicenter was located, the violent temblors resulted in the movement of mountains and barrier lakes.

  All of these geological changes, forming an unusual seismological landscape, would help us understand the cause and results of earthquakes and help predict their occurrence. These valuable lessons can not be learned in a laboratory and therefore are especially worth researching and recording.

  Third, the ruins of the 921 quake are of great educational value. Taiwan is a quake-prone island. Before the earthquake in September, few people took minor tremors very seriously, so the knowledge of earthquakes is rather limited.

  I was the director of Taipei's Bureau of Urban Development when the 1995 Kobe earthquake occurred. Along with former Taipei Mayor Chen Shiu-bian (陳水扁) and others, I went on a fact-finding trip to Kobe 10 days after that quake. During our visit, Chen asked his director of the Bureau of Public Works: " If an earthquake of the same scale happened in Taipei, would the roads and bridges be damaged? What measures would minimize the damage?"

  The director replied, "Thanks to you, Mayor, such a calamity will never happen in Taipei!"

  This response drew an immediate rebuke from Chen.

  We can tell from this example that no one likes to imagine such natural disasters might happen to themselves, so no prevention research has ever been done. By preserving the ruins of earthquakes, people would be reminded constantly that quakes happen anytime. The ruins would also reinforce the need for instruction on what do in a quake and how to evacuate homes and areas if necessary.

  Third, the remains of the 921 quake are valuable for tourism. Since the quake, thousands of tourists have been flooding into afflicted areas. Their curiosity is understandable because the chance to view the impact of a quake on nature is rare.

  However, these new relics, if well organized, might be great tourist attractions for an area that has lost many of its previous scenic areas. The tourism industry in Nantou and Taichung counties is unlikely to recover any time soon. Therefore, making full use of the vestiges of the quake to reactivate tourism is the best measure at present.

  The Chelungpu fault line is located on the border of residential and mountain areas and therefore not suitable for either tourism or industry. Construction on either side of the fault line is to be permanently banned. Therefore, in the long run, the space would be a perfect for a belt-shape national park. This would help turn the crisis into a hopeful turning point.

  I think most people would agree that these relics should be retained. But the problem is that the speed of the demolition has been too fast. The township administration offices of both Puli (埔里) and Kuohsing (國姓) have already been torn down.

  At present, neither of these buildings impacted public safety. Why didn't we carefully think of better ways to deal with these facilities before they were rashly cleared up?

  After the Kobe quake in 1995, the Japanese government also quickly cleared away all the damaged and destroyed buildings and facilities in order to restore a sense of normality. Four years later, they regret not saving more of the wreckage.

  Thus, I suggest that the post-quake reconstruction commission slow down the demolition, conduct immediate research and carefully consider the most effective ways to save earthquake relics for Taiwan and for the whole world.

  Chang Jing-sen is the deputy mayor of Taichung.
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