Urban resilience drills featuring air raid alerts, public evacuation maneuvers and disaster relief drills are to be conducted across Taiwan from Tuesday to Friday.
As in the past, the air raid alerts are to last for 30 minutes, and once the alerts are lifted, local governments and civil defense groups are to follow with relief station, emergency station or disaster relief drills.
Photo: Jameson Wu, AFP
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) urged the public in a Facebook post to remain calm when hearing air raid alerts and receiving mobile notifications, and to follow the instructions of police officers or civil defense personnel when evacuating to a nearby shelter.
According to the Civil Defense Act (民防法), those who contravene drill regulations are subject to a fine ranging from NT$30,000 to NT$150,000, Cho said.
By involving the public, the drill aims to raise awareness of the need for preparedness and safety, demonstrate to the international community the Taiwanese people's strong will to defend themselves and enhance readiness for natural disasters or contingencies, Cho said.
The drills are to be conducted in Taichung, Miaoli County, Nantou County and Changhua County today, and in Kaohsiung and Pingtung County tomorrow.
They are to be held in Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Yilan County, Keelung, Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County on Thursday, and in Hualien County, Taitung County and the outlying Penghu, Kinmen and Lienchiang counties on Friday.
In eastern Taiwan and the outlying islands, the drills are to take place from 10am to 10:30am.
They are to take place from 1:30pm to 2pm in other regions.
The drills were canceled in Tainan, Chiayi City, Chiayi County and Yunlin County as those areas continue to recover from damage caused by Typhoon Danas, which hit southern Taiwan on Sunday and Monday last week.
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