Taipei Times: From your experience, what is the most difficult part in conducting post-quake reconstruction?
Chen Jin-huang (
Actually, the major issue of reconstruction is the rebuilding of housing and communities. However, the reasons for slow progress in rebuilding houses really lie in the problem of money -- in other words, the income of the quake victims. Without a steady job and sufficient income, how can you expect the quake victims to pay interest or to obtain loans from banks to rebuild their homes?
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
Thus, revitalizing local industry plays an important role in reconstruction, since it is a more holistic and sustainable approach to provide employment opportunities while boosting the local economy.
The 921 earthquake struck hardest in the agricultural and aboriginal regions in Central Taiwan, where most people earn their living from traditional industries and tourism. To make things worse, the region's agriculture faced a second "earthquake" when Taiwan entered the WTO this January.
Although revitalizing industry in the region during a national economic downturn is not an easy job, local residents can develop alternatives by combining regional features -- such as agricultural products peculiar to the region, Hakka or aboriginal cultural heritage -- with tourism.
With this goal, supplementary measures, such as placing the region's renowned tourist spots -- Alishan and Sun Moon Lake -- on top of the Cabinet's plan to boost the nation's tourism industry, were put forward by the government to bring more tourists to the area.
Through rebuilding the tourism industry, we hope to increase the income of local residents so that the reconstruction of their homes will not seem to be a farfetched dream.
TT: Aside from the destruction, what are the lessons we have learnt in the wake of the 921 earthquake?
Chen: In the 20th century, three massive earthquakes have rattled the island, each causing thousands of casualties. The first was in 1906, with the epicenter located near my hometown, Chiayi. The second one occurred in 1935 in Taichung; and the third was the 921 earthquake in 1999, centered on Chi-Chi Township, Nantou County.
After the three earthquakes, we really need ask ourselves, if Taiwan is to face another devastating earthquake in the 21st century, can we react to it better than we did last time? Have we established an emergency relief mechanism so that rescue teams and first aid materials can be sent to the needy within 72 hours?
Besides, we also have to re-examine whether we have done our best in designing and building a safer environment during reconstruction so that the number of casualties can be minimized in future disasters.
The Disaster Prevention and Rescue Law (災害防救法) went into effect in July 2000, a year after the 921 earthquake. The law provides guidelines on how to build a safer environment and serves as guidance in case of disasters. In fact, many scholars urged the establishment of the law as early as 1995, but the earthquake in 1999 served as a key to its implementation.
I regard it as a major improvement because Taiwan did not have a law to deal with measures regarding natural disasters before the Disaster Prevention and Rescue Law.
TT: So what areas need improvement?
Chen: Despite the improvements in the law, I think the government should establish a permanent department to work on long-term disaster prevention and relief.
Since the current commission is only an ad hoc organization, everyone will return to different government sectors after the dismissal of the commission. Thus, the experience in rescue, emergency relief and reconstruction we gained from this earthquake cannot be accumulated and passed down. If another disaster occurs in the future, a new, inexperienced team will have to be established again to look after the nation's recovery work.
Taiwan faces an average loss of about NT$20 billion every year from natural disasters. In light of this vast amount, prevention and reconstruction measures should not only come into the spotlight after the disasters happen.
Thus, I urge the government to push for the establishment of a permanent department dedicated to disaster prevention and post-disaster recovery as soon as possible.
TT: Do you think people in Taiwan have often taken disasters too lightly?
Chen: Taiwan receives an average of 3.7 typhoons every year and a devastating earthquake every 20 to 30 years. With so many natural disasters occurring in Taiwan every year, we rarely take them seriously anymore. Moreover, since our vigilance is often relaxed and we tend to leave things to luck, we hardly learn anything from the calamities we experience, no matter how serious the damage is. As time goes by, people forget and the same tragedy occurs over and over again.
I am not asking everyone to be on high alert and to be frightened about natural disasters every minute. But we should hold a more active view of safeguarding our homes to reduce the destruction.
For instance, people ought to be well prepared for typhoons not just because the last typhoon caused severe damage to the island but because we want to be fully prepared for any possible danger brought by natural disasters. Also, we should never block the fire escapes or public areas of apartment blocks just because we want to take advantage of the empty space for our own benefit.
Moreover, I strongly believe that the concept of constructing a safe environment should be taught in schools. It is crucial for us to teach our people that, since we are living on this island, we should learn to live with natural disasters.
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