Taiwan is to hold plane crash and earthquake drills tomorrow as part of a three-day national exercise ahead of National Disaster Prevention Day on Saturday, the Ministry of the Interior said.
More than 1,300 participants — including members of the public, central and local government officials, and staff from a Japanese non-governmental organization — would participate in the drills, the ministry said in a statement.
The plane crash drill, simulating a plane crash following a typhoon, would be held in Penghu County, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said.
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
The Penghu (澎湖輪) ferry would transport firefighters and rescue vehicles to the island on the day of the exercises, and an evacuation center and international rescue reception would held at Penghu Airport, Liu said.
An air force C-130H military transport and Coast Guard Administration patrol ships would be deployed to Penghu, while Peace Winds Japan, a non-governmental organization supporting people affected by humanitarian crises and disasters, would also participate in the exercise, she said.
The drill would be Taiwan’s first large-scale offshore disaster relief exercise, the ministry said.
Meanwhile, another drill on the same day would simulate a magnitude 7.3 earthquake in Chiayi County’s Jhuci Township (竹崎) resulting in casualties and the collapse of numerous buildings, Liu said.
The Chukou Fault, an active reverse fault, runs through Jhuci.
The central government would collaborate with the Chiayi county and city governments to conduct tabletop exercises, establish disaster response centers, carry out search-and-rescue operations, test emergency communication systems and evaluate search-and-rescue procedures, Liu said.
In addition to tomorrow’s drill, the Central Weather Administration would send a text alert to mobile phones nationwide at 9:21am on Friday, along with an alarm sound.
The message would warn people to “duck, take cover and remain still,” Liu said.
Sirens would also sound across the country at 10am, warning people in coastal towns to be aware of a possible tsunami, she added.
From 10:59am to 11:01am, all TV channels would cut to the Public Television Service for a two-minute broadcast of disaster prevention information, she said.
Taiwan began observing National Disaster Prevention Day on Sept. 21, 2000, a year after the 921 Earthquake, which measured 7.3 on the Richter scale and killed more than 2,400 people.
Over the years National Disaster Prevention Day has evolved into the “National Disaster Prevention Month,” the ministry said.
A series of disaster prevention activities, including nationwide school earthquake evacuation drills, the establishment of disaster preparedness sections in stores, and expanded disaster prevention training for government officials and private citizens began on Sept. 1.
Four factors led to the declaration of a typhoon day and the cancelation of classes yesterday, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. Work and classes were canceled across Taiwan yesterday as Typhoon Krathon was forecast to make landfall in the southern part of the country. However, northern Taiwan had only heavy winds during the day and rain in the evening, leading some to criticize the cancelation. Speaking at a Taipei City Council meeting yesterday, Chiang said the decision was made due to the possibility of landslides and other problems in mountainous areas, the need to avoid a potentially dangerous commute for those
Typhoon Krathon, a military airshow and rehearsals for Double Ten National Day celebrations might disrupt flights at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in the first 10 days of next month, the airport’s operator said yesterday. Taoyuan International Airport Corp said in a statement that it has established a response center after the Central Weather Administration issued a sea warning for Krathon, and urged passengers to remain alert to the possibility of disruptions caused by the storm in the coming days. Flight schedules might also change while the air force conducts rehearsals and holds a final airshow for Double Ten National Day, it added. Although
SEMICONDUCTORS: TSMC is able to produce 2-nanometer chips and mass production is expected to be launched by next year, the company said In leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing China is behind Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) by at least 10 years as the Taiwanese chipmaker’s manufacturing process has progressed to 2 nanometers, National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Minister Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文) said yesterday. Wu made the remarks during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee when asked by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) about a report published in August by the Chinese version of Nikkei Asia that said Taiwan’s lead over China in chip manufacturing was only three years. She asked Wu Cheng-wen if the report was an accurate
PRO-CHINA SLOGANS: Two DPP members criticized police officers’ lack of action at the scene, saying that law enforcement authorities should investigate the incident Chinese tourists allegedly interrupted a protest in Taipei on Tuesday held by Hong Kongers, knocked down several flags and shouted: “Taiwan and Hong Kong belong to China.” Hong Kong democracy activists were holding a demonstration as Tuesday was China’s National Day. A video posted online by civic group Hong Kong Outlanders shows a couple, who are allegedly Chinese, during the demonstration. “Today is China’s National Day, and I won’t allow the displaying of these flags,” the male yells in the video before pushing some demonstrators and knocking down a few flagpoles. Radio Free Asia reported that some of the demonstrators
RSS