The annual Wanan air defense exercise is to be held in several locations across the nation from July 25 to 28, with civilians required to seek shelter during the drills, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday.
Air raid sirens are to go off at 1:30pm to signal the start of the 30-minute drill in northern Taiwan on July 25, in central Taiwan on July 26, in southern Taiwan on July 27 and in eastern Taiwan and outlying islands on July 28, the ministry said.
Northern Taiwan covers Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung, Yilan County, Taoyuan, and Hsinchu county and city.
Photo: Military News Agency via CNA
Central Taiwan comprises Taichung and Chiayi City, as well as Miaoli, Changhua, Nantou, Yunlin and Chiayi counties.
Southern Taiwan covers Tainan, Kaohsiung and Pingtung County.
Eastern Taiwan and the outlying islands cover Hualien and Taitung, and Penghu, Kinmen and Lienchiang counties.
This year’s drill, coded No. 45, aims to raise public awareness of emergency warnings to reduce the possibility of casualties and damage in the event of an air raid, ministry spokesman Major General Sun Li-fang (孫立方) said.
Most road traffic and pedestrian movement would be suspended, as is usually done during the drills, while some people would receive text messages on their phones notifying them about an air raid drill, the ministry said.
The text message would include a link providing information about the nearest air-raid shelter, it said.
People can also download the Police Administrative Service App (警政服務) to access similar information, the ministry said.
MRT services, freeway traffic and commercial flights would operate normally, but disembarking passengers should follow instructions from evacuation personnel, the ministry said.
This year, a stricter evacuation protocol would be applied in three areas, where private vehicles would not only be required to be parked, but their occupants would also need to get out of the vehicles and follow instructions to find air-raid shelters, it said.
The affected areas are Kuangchu ward in Taipei’s Xinyi District (信義), Fongle Borough (豐樂) in Taichung’s Nantun District (南屯) and Dongqiao Borough (東橋) in Tainan’s Yongkang District (永康), it said.
Those who contravene evacuation measures could be fined NT$30,000 to NT$150,000, the ministry said.
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