The legislature has reviewed Japanese disaster prevention experiences and has proposed forming local disaster relief alliances to provide search and rescue personnel immediately following a disaster.
The legislature’s Organic Laws and Statutes Bureau said Typhoon Morakot, which wreaked havoc in southern Taiwan in August and brought the most serious precipitation in nearly half a century, exposed the deficiencies of the nation’s disaster relief mechanisms.
As a result, bureau officials went on a tour of Japan to learn about its experience with disaster prevention and response.
The officials said they found Japan had shifted its focus to software and management from its previous focus on hardware development, and that disaster prevention orchestrated by the central government had also been switched to joint cooperation between local residents and the administration to mitigate the impact of disasters.
The Japanese government attaches great importance to disaster simulation drills, and cities and prefectures form alliances to conduct such drills regularly.
Residents are taught that when disaster strikes, they should first seek relief or take shelter to mitigate casualties and then wait for government rescue and relief personnel.
The bureau also suggested that ministries, commissions and bureaus send their officials to work regularly at the Central Disaster Prevention and Response Council to enhance inter-agency coordination.
A special commission should also be set up to conduct investigations after each major disaster and announce the results, it said. This would establish a mechanism to pass on management experience of disaster response.
In an evaluation report on a draft amendment to the Disaster Prevention and Response Act (災害防救法), the bureau said the deficiencies in Taiwan’s disaster prevention and response system include a lack of a joint disaster response plan, incomplete disaster information, a lack of an on-site command systems and insufficient use and management of available resources.
The bureau said Morakot also highlighted an “inappropriate concept and approach” in flood prevention, a lack of a land safety and conservation plans, a faulty command system in central and local disaster response centers and rigid procedures and slow response times when providing military support to rescue operations, as well as a lack of regular drills.
‘JOINT SWORD’: Whatever President Lai says in his Double Ten speech, China would use it as a pretext to launch ‘punishment’ drills for his ‘separatist’ views, an official said China is likely to launch military drills this week near Taiwan, using President William Lai’s (賴清德) upcoming national day speech as a pretext to pressure the nation to accept its sovereignty claims, Taiwanese officials said. China in May launched “punishment” drills around Taiwan shortly after Lai’s inauguration, in what Beijing said was a response to “separatist acts,” sending heavily armed warplanes and staging mock attacks as state media denounced newly inaugurated Lai. The May drills were dubbed “Joint Sword — 2024A” and drew concerns from capitals, including Washington. Lai is to deliver a key speech on Thursday in front of the Presidential Office
An aviation jacket patch showing a Formosan black bear punching Winnie the Pooh has become popular overseas, including at an aviation festival held by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force at the Ashiya Airbase yesterday. The patch was designed last year by Taiwanese designer Hsu Fu-yu (徐福佑), who said that it was inspired by Taiwan’s countermeasures against frequent Chinese military aircraft incursions. The badge shows a Formosan black bear holding a Republic of China flag as it punches Winnie the Pooh — a reference to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) — who is dressed in red and is holding a honey pot with
Taiwan was listed in 14th place among the world's wealthiest country in terms of GDP per capita, in the latest rankings released on Monday by Forbes magazine. Taiwan's GDP per capita was US$76,860, which put it at No. 14 on the list of the World's 100 Richest Countries this year, one spot above Hong Kong with US$75,130. The magazine's list of the richest countries in the world is compiled based on GDP per capita data, as estimated by the IMF. However, for a more precise measure of a nation's wealth, the magazine also considers purchasing power parity, which is a metric used to
NINTH MONTH: There were 11,792 births in Taiwan last month and 15,563 deaths, or a mortality rate of 8.11 per 1,000 people, household registration data showed Taiwan’s population was 23,404,138 as of last month, down 2,470 from August, the ninth consecutive month this year that the nation has reported a drop, the Ministry of the Interior said on Wednesday. The population last month was 162 fewer than the same month last year, a decline of 0.44 per day, the ministry said, citing household registration data. Taiwan reported 11,792 births last month, or 3.7 births per day, up 149 from August, it said, adding that the monthly birthrate was 6.15 per 1,000 people. The jurisdictions with the highest birthrates were Yunlin County at 14.62 per 1,000 people, Penghu County (8.61
RSS