Wed, Nov 17, 1999 page2

• Taipei unveils a new program to upgrade disaster response capability

  PREPAREDNESS Taipei City Government has initiated a program of emergency drills throughout the city, but experts say that this is no substitute for a master plan

  • By Monique Chu / STAFF REPORTER
  • • 
    • 
    • 

  The Taipei City Government held disaster drills in the city's Wenshan and Neihu districts yesterday, as part of the municipal government's ongoing plan to hold such exercises in each of the city's 12 districts. This is the first time the city has coordinated such drills citywide.

  Although experts said yesterday the drills were "useful," they also said that improving the city's disaster management master plan is more important.

  They said the drills program, which was initiated as a result of the 921 earthquake, could enhance each district's ability to cope with large-scale natural disasters in the future.

  Chang Po-chin (張3??/CHINESE>), director of the Fire Department of Taipei, explained the rationale behind such an initiative.

  "When the `big one' hits, the city government may not be able to respond to all victims at the same time, so we need an emergency instruction center in each district to carry out preliminary rescue work," Chang said. "This is why we need to hold these district-based drills."

  Chang also said mock disasters in the 12 districts would vary in accordance with the characteristic of each district. "In mountainous districts, for example, one of the mock disasters will be a land-slide," Chang said.

  Such a district-based disaster management system would also allow district administrators to work as commanders-in-chief to combat disasters in their area and to coordinate different agencies under their command, Chang said.

  As the drill proceeded in Neihu district yesterday, hundreds of local residents, district officials and rescue teams took part in the practice -- amid camera crews eager to capture footage of Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬-^?E) and other city officials.

  Around 2:20pm, a man shouted through a loudspeaker that a big earthquake had occurred. As part of the scenario, dozens of "quake victims" ran out of a building carrying emergency survival kits.

  At one building that was supposed to have crumbled with people inside, firefighters, rescue workers from Taipei Rescue Association and members of the community patrol team rushed inside to save lives.

  Soon, the mayor's group moved to another location where workers were busy switching off and repairing gas pipelines, as well as water and electricity supply lines.

  At the end of the thirty-minute drill, the mayor inspected a temporary shelter set up in the Wenhu Elementary School.

  Although it was impossible to actually feel the emotions and urgency of a real disaster in such a drill, city officials appeared satisfied.

  "On the whole, the drill was a success," Ma told hundreds of participants gathered at the school's playground, adding that the agencies involved in the exercise were able to react to the emergency situation "in a timely manner."

  Sarah Yu (余星華), Wenshan's district administrator, agreed.

  "We can really strengthen cross-unit contacts in the drill, thus enhancing our district's ability to deal with emergencies," Yu said.

  Evaluations of the drill by experts, meanwhile, varied.

  Wu Chuan-wei (吳傳威), a professor at the Civil and Disaster Prevention Department at National Taipei University of Technology, said the municipal government's drill plan echoed the current trend to set up disaster management systems at different levels of governments.

  "When a big quake hits, communication systems may be destroyed. So some districts in the city may find themselves unable to seek assistance elsewhere in a timely manner," Wu said, adding, "if each district has its own emergency measures, mobilization will be much faster."

  Sun Chih-hong (孫志鴻), group leader for information systems under the program for hazards mitigation at the Office of National Science and Technology, said, however: "Drills are useful, but I am afraid they are only opportunities in which related personnel can operate available machinery."

  "The problem the city government has now is that it has failed to articulate a master plan for disaster management which takes into account diverse situations in the city's 12 districts," Sun said.
• Most Popular

  • 1

    First person arrested as Danjiang Bridge opens

  • 2

    TSMC shares stumble on report, but losses minor

  • 3

    Navy needs 12 subs for modern fleet: CSBC head

  • 4

    Snake on a train spooks riders on Taipei MRT line

  • 5

    HIMARS to be deployed to islands