Experts from Japan's Kobe University Research Center for Urban Safety and Security (RCUSS) yesterday recommended that the Taiwan government, which they said showed a lack of emergency planning and preparedness in handling the aftermath of the 921 earthquake, should review its response operations.
Among the measures to be taken, they said Taiwan needs to invest in an information infrastructure to support communication and coordination among levels of government involved in emergency response, said Louise Comfort, a visiting professor of public administration at RCUSS. She took part in a week-long inspection-tour to the disaster areas with a 15-member RCUSS team.
"Information regarding damage to affected areas was slow and incomplete in the first hours after the earthquake," Comfort said.
Loss of power, severed communications and blocked roads immediately after the quake were blamed for slow emergency response operations. The situation was similar to the 1995 Kobe earthquake that killed nearly 5,000 people, Comfort said.
Isao Kamae, another RCUSS professor, said a lack of information was partly responsible for the high casualties in Kobe, prompting the Japanese government to begin forming an information system for disaster and emergency response.
The emergency information network features the latest technology with multi-lines, multi-media, two-way communication and remote back-up, Kamae said.
Mobilization of personnel and equipment for emergency response demands a complex set of operations and coordinated actions by multiple agencies, governments, and private and non-profit organizations, the experts said.
The lack of heavy equipment and knowledge of advanced search and rescue techniques delayed rescue operations after last month's quake in Taiwan.
Comfort suggested Taiwan use resources at local universities to collect information on sites vulnerable to seismic and other hazards, as well as improve training of emergency response personnel.
In view of Taiwan's unique situation in the international community, Comfort said systems for humanitarian assistance should be established so that needed assistance will not be delayed or affected by political constraints.
Sun Chih-hong (
"No one imagined there would be an earthquake as severe as this one, so the budget, personnel and projects devoted were very limited," said Sun.
Sun said he believes the earthquake will help the program gain the financial resources needed and speed up the establishment of the disaster system in the government.
"The cost required for the system's establishment is far lower compared to the losses caused by the disaster," Sun said.
The program researches means of setting up well-equipped emergency operations centers and carries out surveys of earthquake-prone areas to work out possible disaster scenarios and strategies to deal with them.
Sun said models for disaster-prevention plans are expected to be completed for Taipei and Chiayi within two years.
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